Zebras through in CHAN qualifiers
The Zebras are through to the next stage of the African Nations Championship (CHAN) qualifiers following their 2-2 draw with Eswatini yesterday in South Africa. Mogomotsi ‘Teenage’ Mpote’s charges advanced through an away goal rule after the 2-2 aggregate score.
The two sides played to a 0-0 draw at the Obed Itani Chilume Stadium a fortnight ago in the first leg, forcing the Zebras to go all out in the second leg to get an away goal. After the 0-0 draw in Francistown, head coach, Mpote promised fireworks in the second leg and his charges did exactly that, coming from behind two times to force a 2-2 draw. “I am looking forward to the match in South Africa. Today we played a wounded Eswatini after we won against them in COSAFA Cup. You could see that they had prepared for us very well. We will go there with a mentality of winning. We cannot go there and sit back. They will hurt us because they are a good team. We are going to be aggressive in our approach. I see a very tough game in the second leg. It will be a totally different ball game,” Mpote told the journalists after the draw in the first leg. Yesterday, Eswatini were first to draw b l o o d in the first half through Gamedze Dlamini before the Zebras responded towards the end of the
first half through Godfrey Tauyatswala.
Eswatini took another lead in the second half, this time through Mamba Fanelo but the Zebras once again never gave up and were awarded a penalty.
Attacking midfielder, Thero Setsile stepped up and slotted home to give the Zebras the much needed result. The Zebras are now into the last round of qualifiers. Meanwhile the next round of Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers in September have been postponed to next year.
The decision is said to have been reached to allow the continent’s five World Cup-bound teams the opportunity for better preparatory matches before the tournament in Qatar. Zebras were initially scheduled to play Equatorial Guinea away on September 19 before they host the same opponents on September
27.