No exra time in COSAFA last 8

MBABANE – The nation’s pride Sihlangu stars must be prepared for everything against highly-rated Senegal’s Terranga Lions this afternoon.

The two nations meet for the third time in a short period having met in 2020 and 2021 in the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2021 qualifiers and then again in the COSAFA Cup semi-finals last year. They have a date again in the Hollywoodbets-sponsored COSAFA Cup 2022 but this time in the quarterfinals.

The match is billed for the King Zwelithini Stadium at 2pm, with the winners set to face-off with either Botswana or Zambia who were due to clash yesterday evening while Madagascar took on Namibia in the first quarterfinal set. The latter await the winner between hosts South Africa and Mozambique this afternoon.

According to the tournament rules and regulations as confirmed by the Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (COSAFA) on Monday, from this stage to the semis, if there is no winner after regulation time, the match will go straight to a penalty shoot-out to decide the winner.

It is only in the finals that the match will go to extra time of two halves and then a shoot-out if the game remains undecided.

Sihlangu lost on penalties last time they met the Terranga Lions in the competition. The game had ended 2-all in regulation time and Senegal won 5-2 after penalties.

“All matches of the knockout phase of the tournament must yield a result failing which: a) If, in the quarterfinal round, the teams are tied at the end of regulation time, the winner will be determined by kicks from the penalty mark; b) If, in the semi-final round, the teams are tied at the end of regulation time, the winner shall be determined by kicks from the penalty mark; c) The final match shall be determined by extra time of two halves of 15 minutes each followed by kicks from the penalty mark,” reads Article 5 in part.

It continues to provide that; d) “In the Plate semifinal round, should there be a draw at the end of regulation time, the winner will be determined by kicks from the penalty mark; e) The Plate final match, should there be a draw at the end of regulation time, the winner will be determined by kicks from the penalty mark,” the regulations provide.

The COSAFA Cup 2022 edition is being held in Durban at KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. Eswatini Football Association (EFA) Communications and Marketing Officer Muzi Radebe affirmed the regulations as released by COSAFA.

(Courtesy pic) Mbabane Highlanders players go through their paces during a training session at Ezulwini Sports Ground yesterday.

(Pic: Cosafamedia.com) Sihlangu defender Peter Dlamini (R), who earned his second cap last week in a battle with Malawi’s Flames forward Khuda Muyaba.