AMATHOLE BANK CUP CHAMPS X3

Sports Editor
(At Somhlolo National Stadium)

LOBAMBA – Call it the ‘Amathole Bank Cup’ already! Eccentric army side, Young Buffaloes re-wrote history books yesterday when they became the first team in the tournament’s 16-year-old chequered history to win the country’s most loved knockout tournament three times in a row.

Champions in 2017, 2018, 2019 – ‘Amathole Ezinyathi’ needed a goal-poacher’s goal from the lavishly talented ‘man of the match’ Sandile Gamedze 13 minutes from time, who headed home a-flicked-on ball by Wandile Maseko after a trademark long throw ball by Fanelo ‘Order’ Mamba to decide a tightly contested yet ultra-boring cup final.

Besides the pauper’s football – at times devoid of imagination, tempo, rhythm and ideas – the 2019 EswatiniBank Cup final will go down in history as one of the poorly attended finals as only slightly 5 000 fans turned up to watch the 16th edition.
His Majesty King Mswati III, joined by Emakhosikati, members of the royal family, ministers, Members of Parliament, Prime Minister Ambrose Dlamini and EswatiniBank Managing Director Zakhele Lukhele watched the two security forces sides create a few chances in a game that was not pleasing to the eye.

To their credit, Leopard had started the game at their buccaneering best, missing two gilt-edged chances in the first half, including a match-winning save from Buffaloes goalkeeper Nhlanhla Gwebu who fisted to safety a point-blank shot from Lungelo Tsabedze right inside the box in the half-hour mark. But when you have a player with the quality of Sandile Gamedze even on his off-day, he decides games of this magnitude.

A lapse in concentration and failing to deal with a long throw-ball by ‘Order’ Mamba, which was flicked on by Wandile Maseko, the ball fell to the last person Leopard would have nominated - Sandile Gamedze.

ferocity

He rose like a humming bird to head the ball

into the roof of the net with such ferocity that even a desperate attempt to stop the ball with his right hand by defender Sikhumbuzo Magagula failed dismally as ‘Saviola’ wheeled away in celebration. It was a sucker punch. Already with an embarrassment of riches, having won the Ingwenyama Cup on March 17, earning a princely E1.3 million cheque, yesterday’s E1.1 million prize has ballooned their kitty to E2.5 million after they also earned E100 000 in the EswatiniTelecom Charity Cup back on August 5 2018. The army side are also in the running for the coveted Holy Grail of Eswatini football, the MTN league trophy where E1 million is also up for grabs.

The Dominic Kunene-led side have been solid, trail-blazing and swashbuckling all season and in Gamedze, they have a match winner par excellence. His glancing header yesterday was enough to win a cup final that lacked the zest and razzmatazz this tournament has been renowned for. In the end, firecrackers that sounded louder than a 21-gun salute at an army barrack illuminated the sky as Young Buffaloes captain, Nhlanhla Gwebu lifted the glittering trophy and ‘Amathole Ezinyathi’ banked the E1.1 million first prize cheque albeit for the third time in a row.
(See full match report and reactions on Page 40)

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