Seven Dreams edge wasteful Tambankulu Callies
Seven Dreams ................ (1) 1 ‘Mbolwane’ 17th
Tambankulu Callies ...... (0) 0
MBABANE – MTN National First Division (NFD) log leaders, Seven Dreams, emerged victorious with a hardfought 1-0 win against a wasteful Tambankulu Callies in a match played here yesterday.
The win allowed the log leaders to maintain their top position with 44 points. Callies, on the other hand, remain in the middle of the table with 27 points. The goal came from defensive midfielder, Mxolisi ‘Mbolwane’ Bhembe, who converted a well-placed free kick in the first quarter of the game.
Before the match commenced, the former MTN Premier League team filed a protest against the home side, arguing that one of their coaches, Andile Vilakati, was ineligible to be on the bench. This protest caused a delay of over five minutes, with the captains of both teams signing the protest documentation.
Seven Dreams dominated the early stages of the game. However, it was the visitors who had the first clear opportunity, with Sihle Magagula finding himself one-on-one with Seven Dreams’ goalkeeper, Siyabonga Zwane, who produced a fantastic save to keep the score level.
In the 17th minute, Seven Dreams’ defensive midfielder, Mxolisi ‘Mbolwane’ Bhembe, scored from a well-executed free kick, leaving Callies’ goalkeeper, Basize Malambe, helpless.
Just before half-time, Seven Dreams had a golden opportunity to double their lead, but ‘Mbolwane’ missed a sitter after a brilliant cross from Lindo ‘Mlindi’ Zwane. Zwane had been causing problems for the Callies’ defence throughout the first half, going into the halftime break. The second half began with Callies showing renewed determination as they aggressively sought to level the score. However, both teams fired blanks until the referee’s final whistle. This saw the game ending in the one-goal margin.