SIHLANGU SURVIVE LATE SCARE
MBOMBELA – Eswatini managed to weather a late scare and secure their advancement to the AFCON 2025 qualifiers.
This hard-fought result was followed by a stunning resurgence from the Ocean Stars, who scored two late goals to force a 2-2 draw. The Dominic Kunene-led charges displayed remarkable resilience, scoring two quick second-half goals through Sabelo ‘Sikhali’ Ndzinisa and Bongwa ‘Logwaja’Matsebula, netting in the 46th and 49th minutes, respectively. Despite the draw, Sihlangu advanced with a commanding 5-2 aggregate score, following a resounding 3-0 victory in the first leg, played last Wednesday in Morocco.
It is worth noting that both countries had to host their home games away from home due to the lack of stadiums meeting CAF standards. Eswatini hosted at Mbombela Stadium in South Africa, while Somalia hosted in Morocco.
Securing
Two years ago, Eswatini emerged victorious against the same Ocean Stars, securing an aggregate score of 5-1 with a 3-0 away win and a 2-1 win at home.
However, the 2024 encounter presented a different narrative, as the Ocean Stars managed to salvage some pride by forcing a draw. Despite this, they faced a similar fate from the same country, denying them a spot in the AFCON group stages. In the game, the Somalian team displayed a remarkable transformation from the team that suffered a 3-0 defeat at home a week ago, showing great aggression in the first half. Despite their assertiveness, they only managed two shots on target. Eswatini, starting with the same line-up as the first leg squad, had one shot on target through Richard Bay’s Justice Figuareido, whose shot was parried by goalkeeper Mustaf, hitting the woodwork for a fruitless corner five minutes before half-time.
The second half saw a rejuvenated and improved Eswatini side, scoring two quick goals within a mere three-minute span. ‘Sikhali’ capitalised on goalkeeper Mustaf’s error, who spilt the ball, allowing the Green Mamba striker to finish into an empty net just a minute into the restart.
Powerful
Matsebula’s goal was a solo effort after taking on a defender on the right flank and releasing a powerful shot, beating Mustaf hands down at the far right post three minutes later.
The visitors gained more possession and displayed signs of resurgence, eventually scoring to make it 2-1, all thanks to a stylish finish from the box by Awad, 14 minutes before full-time. Just as Eswatini sought to regroup, the Rachid Lousteque-led charges equalised through Ahmed with just four minutes remaining. Ahmed found the equaliser after capitalising on a goalmouth scramble, netting to make it 2-2, prompting jubilant scenes from the over 50 visiting fans.