Times Of Swaziland: NURO EYEING POSITIVE RESULTS IN MALI CLASH

NURO EYEING POSITIVE RESULTS IN MALI CLASH
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Sanele Jele on 17/11/2024 16:49:00


MBABANE – Sihlangu assistant coach Sifiso ‘Nuro’ Ntibane remains
optimistic ahead of their final match against Mali.
His comments came after guiding his side to a hard-fought 1-1 draw against the
star-studded Guinea Bissau on Saturday at Mbombela Stadium during the second leg
of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers. “It was a challenging match,
as we anticipated, given that they were vying for qualification. Although we are
out of this tournament, I emphasised that we had pride at stake and aimed to
improve our FIFA ranking,” Ntibane stated. He acknowledged the quality of
their opponents, noting their inclusion of European players.
“We played a compact game and had several opportunities that we unfortunately
squandered. Despite being out of contention for qualification, our FIFA ranking
is crucial for seeding in future continental tournaments,” he added.
Ntibane praised his players for their resilience, drawing parallels to their
previous match against Mozambique, which also ended in a 1-1 draw. “We lost
narrowly to Guinea Bissau, and our defeats have consistently been by slim
margins, indicating that the boys are competitive. We are integrating many local
and young players to build for the future, and you can see some of these players
forming the squad for the upcoming CHAN qualifiers.”
He acknowledged the need for improvement in the final third, citing a lack of
composure, team organisation and tactical awareness, emphasising that they are a
work in progress. When asked about the impact of head coach Zdravko
Logarusic’s absence, he refrained from commenting, stating: “Please direct
that question to the administrators.” Regarding the upcoming match against
Mali, he asserted: “We will not fear Mali. We aim to secure a positive result
away and use this game as preparation for our encounter against Madagascar in
the CHAN qualifiers.” Sihlangu will face Mali away on Tuesday in their final
AFCON qualifying match, where they currently sit at the bottom of Group I.
Meanwhile, Guinea Bissau coach Luis Boa Morte described the match as tough.
“We aimed for victory, but they made it difficult for us. Overall, my players
controlled the game, but in football, you must score to win. We created numerous
chances but were punished by conceding a penalty, which allowed them to take the
lead. Although we equalised, we couldn’t find the winner. We must win against
Mozambique to keep our qualification hopes alive.”
He acknowledged the pressure on his team, stating: “It will be a challenging
game, just like this one against Eswatini. We must focus on scoring goals, while
ensuring we don’t concede. The pressure is immense as we are on the brink of
not qualifying, but we remain positive about our chances.”