‘BULL’ BEAT ‘WESLIANS’, INTO LAST 8

(At Somhlolo National Stadium)
Highlanders………(0)2,
Lekata 47th Banele 57th
Wanderers………..(0)0.

LOBAMBA – It was not a pretty performance but the end result proved pretty effective for ‘knockout specialists’ Mbabane Highlanders who marched into the last eight of the Eswatini Bank Cup after beating Manzini Wanderers 2-0 yesterday at the Somhlolo National Stadium.

This ill-tempered encounter, which saw tensions running high in both camps, was largely dominated by Wanderers especially in the first half where they did everything but score. Highlanders, though not playing to their best, got two scoring chances and put them away to win the game. Wanderers learned the hard way that pretty performance does not win games as they could have easily won this game but failed to make use of glittering scoring opportunities.

The first half belonged to the Hub giants as they kept Highlanders on the back-foot for prolonged periods but finding the back of the net proved a difficult task.

chance

Highlanders created the first real chance a minute into the game but a good cross from Phumlani Ngwenya went begging with no one to finish it off. Wanderers then took the initiative and pressed hard for the goal and it nearly came in the 7th minute but Manqoba Maseko could not guide his header into the net after an inviting cross from the overlapping right-back Sifiso Maseko who gave the opposition problems on the right flank in the first half. Wanderers’ Johnson Mensah had the ball in the net in the 11th minute with a header after another cross from Maseko but the goal was ruled for offside.

At this stage, Highlanders were clearly struggling to conjure up descent passes and could not provide any threat to Wanderers.
The ‘Weslians’ were desperately unlucky at the stroke of half after Mensah rose high to connect with a header a cross from Maseko but the effort came off the cross-bar, much to the disappointment of the team’s supporters who were already celebrating a goal. The game went for the breather with neither sides able to find a goal.

The second half was almost the similar scenario but the only difference was that Highlanders were able to score the two goals. The opening goal came two minutes into the second stanza through Lekato who finished off a cross from Mlamuli Nkambule on the left flank.

napping

Wanderers were caught napping in this goal and the Mbabane giants put the game to bed in the 57th minute with their second netted by Banele Ndzabandzaba who headed home a well calculated cross from Phumlani Ngwenya, effectively ending any hopes of Wanderers coming back to the game.
To their credit, the Manzini based outfit never gave up fighting as they continued attacking but goals proved elusive.

Highlanders had two good chances to add more goals towards the end of the game, the first chance falling for Sabelo ‘Sawa’ Gamedze who saw his rasping shot saved by Wanderers’ goalkeeper Innocent Adjah in the 65th minute. Substitute Siboniso Lukhele proved very selfish after breaking loose from the defence in a three against one situation but instead of passing to the better placed ‘Mlaba’, the stocky player fired his close range over the bar.

That proved to the last real scoring chance in the game as Highlanders held onto their 2-0 lead to book a place in the last eight of this prestigious competition. For Wanderers, it is back to the drawing board for them as focus shifts to the MTN Premier League.

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