Times Of Swaziland: SIHLANGU SEEK TO END MBOMBELA JINX

SIHLANGU SEEK TO END MBOMBELA JINX
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Nimrod Hlophe on 02/11/2024 10:11:00


MBABANE – The national team, Sihlangu’s coach, Zdravko ‘Loga’ Logarusic,
says Eswatini needs to break the Mbombela Stadium curse today.
Sihlangu will take on Zimbabwe in the second leg of the TotalEnergies African
Nations Championship (CHAN). Eswatini already have one foot ahead after beating
the Mighty Warriors 3-0, five days ago. “We have to try to win this game
because, as I’ve been told, it has been a long time since we won on this
pitch. We’re not lucky on this field, and we have to break that jinx by
focusing so we can progress to the second round,” Loga said in a pre-match
interview, yesterday. Eswatini last recorded a win on the Mbombela turf on March
27, 2022. The coach further said that the first leg’s victory is history and
they have to be cautious in today’s encounter.
Surprises
“We have to be careful because football is full of surprises. I’m not
comfortable at all, which means we need to be fully focused and ready to play so
we can advance to the next round,” the tactician said. He also mentioned that
he was not shaken by Zimbabwe reinforcing their squad ahead of this match.
Meanwhile, Sandile ‘Saviola’ Gamedze, speaking on behalf of the players,
concurred with the coach. Gamedze said they now have a clear picture of the
opponent, and with that knowledge, they will fight for a win on home soil so as
to restore Eswatini’s pride.
On the other hand, Warriors mentor Takesure Chiragwi, said they will be without
the services of first-choice goalkeeper from the previous game, Donovan, as well
as their right-back, Gwatidzo. The former has been ruled out due to an injury,
while the latter is said to be ill. Chiragwi also mentioned that today provides
a new opportunity for them to prove themselves, as last Sunday, the difference
was only the scoreline. He said this gives them hope that they can stage a
stunning comeback with the development squad, although they understand that it
is an uphill battle.