‘BOGANDAGANDA’ CRUSH ‘BULL’

(At Somhlolo National Stadium)
Matsapha.......... (0)1
Emmanuel 46th
Highlanders..... (0)0

LOBAMBA – Matsapha United have pulled off the biggest upset of the 2019 EswatiniBank Cup after claiming two-time champions Mbabane Highlanders’ big scalp here yesterday.

Highlanders’ loyalists were left cursing both top female referee Letticia Viana and Matsapha import Emmanuel Nsiah, whose lone second half stunner from close range proved to be the difference in the feisty showdown at a nearly-packed Somhlolo National Stadium.

Some of the supporters wanted to rearrange the referee’s face, as they felt she should have awarded a penalty in the 66th minute after Highlanders’ marksman Thabiso Mokenkoane appeared to have been hacked with an open boot in the box by Thami Zulu.

culprits

The situation almost got out of hand, as some fans reacted angrily by throwing cans towards the field of play and on-duty police officers and some Highlanders supporters reacted swiftly to withdraw the culprits from their stand.

In a week headlined by a controversial ‘miracle’ performed by one South Africa-based Prophet Alph Lukau, who claimed to have brought a dead man to life; the travelling supporters also watched in disbelief as their favourite side got eliminated by a team in relegation murky waters.

‘Bogandaganda’, who had failed to beat Highlanders in at least 270 minutes of football this season, deserve credit after doing their homework. They did the basics right to suck the aggression out of Highlanders, who paraded one of their strongest squads.

However, the final result was not a true reflection of the game, with Highlanders wasting most of their chances from corner kicks. Inside 20 minutes, the visitors came close to drawing first blood when skipper Xolani ‘Chocco’ Sibandze rattled the cross bar with an audacious effort following a Sihle Ndaba corner kick in the 19th minute.

In response, Matsapha’s Nsiah saw his lofted ball in a crowded box parried to safety by goalkeeper Khanyakezwe Shabalala just after the half-hour mark.

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