Illovo put Weslians in relegation peril
BIG BEND – Despite a promising start, Manzini Wanderers ultimately finished with the wooden spoon following a 2-1 loss to Illovo. Former Wanderers star, Majahesibili ‘Giggs’ Ndlovu, delivered a brace to haunt his former employers, scoring just after the hour mark and at the stroke of full time to break the hearts of the relegation-threatened Wanderers.
Illovo’s victory, which marked a double triumph over the hub giants following a 4-3 win in the first round, means they are officially safe from relegation. They now have 33 points, while the possible two teams that can be relegated can finish at 24 points with two games to spare.
Wanderers, on the other hand, will have to battle until the last game to ensure they survive relegation. As of now, they are not safe. They are yet to play Mbabane Highlanders and relegation-threatened Denver Sundowns in their two remaining games. Coming into the game, ‘Weslians’ scored one of their fastest goals, following a Mlamuli ‘Mlaba’ Nkambule strike, catching goalkeeper Simo Ndzinisa off-guard across the goalposts. The Wanderers captain scored from the edge of the box just two minutes into the tightly contested game.
Seemingly, the visitors wanted the game more, as they continued to attack in numbers but missed the target. The Zwelibandzi ‘Botsotso’
MAN OF THE MATCH
Majahesibili ‘Giggs’ Ndlovu - Illovo: Besides scoring the brace, he was a marvel to watch as he made his team play. His first touch was good, and his shots were on target. He single-handedly secured the maximum points for his team.
Khoza-led charges almost found the equaliser at the half-hour mark, but Njabulo Dlamini’s volley missed the target by inches.
The game went into half time with the Nyanga ‘Crooks’ Hlophe side leading, but all that changed in the second half as the hosts scored two goals to win the game.
HERO
The brace hero benefited from a goalmouth scramble and beat Wanderers goalkeeper Simiso Tsabedze, frozen on the goalposts, seven minutes after the hour mark.
Just about 10 minutes before full time, Wanderers goalkeeper Tsabedze had to be substituted due to injury after he hit the goalpost while trying to save a volley from Illovo’s Sibonakaliso Dlamini.
The injury seemed severe as he was transported to the nearest hospital, and Captain Mlaba had to take over the goalposts, following the team’s exhausted substitutions.
After play resumed, the hosts seemed to play like a well-oiled machine, and eventually, it paid off as they found the winner at the stroke of full time, all thanks to Ndlovu, who headed a cross from Gcina Matsebula to nod past Mlaba, much to the disappointment of over 100 Weslians fans who had travelled all the way to Big Bend.