Y. Buffaloes Ladies EWFL champs
Y. Buffaloes Ladies .......... (1)2 Celiwe 36th, Cuta 79th
AS Interladies .................. (0)0
OBAMBA – Young Buffaloes Ladies team were crowned 2021/22 Eswatini Women’s Football League Champions after finishing the season without losing a game.
The Fisiwe Hlophe-led side was crowned after beating a stubborn Lobamba-based side, AS Interladies 2-0 in an entertaining match played here yesterday. The two sides failed to create scoring chances in the first 20 minutes of the game as they resorted to passing the ball in the middle of the park without surging forward. It was the army side that made the first attempt at a goal, after Mozambican import Lonica Vasco Tsanwane dribbled her way towards goal on the right flank and delivered a gift-wrapped cross into the danger zone.
LThe ball was controlled superbly by Nokuthula Dlamini unmarked inside the box, but her shot went over the bar with the goalkeeper Lindelwa Gwebu at the bay. The menacing Mozambican winger Tsanwane delivered yet another telling cross after leaving AS Interladies left back Siphelele Ndzimandze dead. Celiwe ‘Cece’ Nkambule let fly a screamer that narrowly missed the target.
Interladies finally cracked in six minutes after the hour mark when ‘Cece’ was set up by Tsanwane and she controlled the ball and triggered a hard shot that rested at the back of the net.
The second half saw Buffaloes pushing hard for a second goal, which eventually came in the 79th minute, through Mozambican striker Cidalia Daniel Cuta, who received the ball just outside the box and took a rocket shot that rested in the far corner of the net, leaving goalkeeper Lindelwa Gwebu sprawled on the turf.
The Sabelo Dlamini-led side was awarded a penalty two minutes before full-time, but Ncedo Gamedze’s spot kick was saved by goalkeeper Sukuluhle Sibandze. The army side will now represent the country in the 2022 COSAFA/CAF Women Champions League second edition in South Africa, which starts on August 4, 2022.