SIX MABONE

MBABANE – Eswatini CAF envoys Royal Leopard squandered a 2-0 lead to lose 6-2 against Orlando Pirates.

This was during the first leg of the CAF Confederation Cup which was played at Mbombela Stadium last night. The game was played amid protests by some members of Swaziland Liberation Movement (SWALIMO) and some Swazis in Diaspora, who tried to block the police side from entering the Mpumalanga-based venue. After the intervention of South Africa police, Leopard were allowed into the venue. The win takes Pirates top of Group B, two points ahead of Al-Ittihad, who have played a game less while the Edwin Matsebula-led charges are still rooted at the bottom with no point after two games.

raced

Leopard shocked the Buccaneers as they raced into an early 2-0 lead. In the fifth minute, Happy Jele conceded a corner. The corner was delivered and it was headed out to Mzwandile Mabelesa, who buried the ball from the right side of the box into the bottom right corner to make it 1-0 in five minutes. The lead was doubled just two minutes later, when Mancoba Maseko delivered into the box for Thabiso Mokenkoane, who headed with a glancing header into the bottom left corner, 2-0. Pirates immediately went in search of an equaliser as Deon Hotto chipped over the Leopard defence to locate Kwame Peprah, whose shot was blocked by the keeper.

The Buccaneers pulled one back in the 10 minutes from the half-hour mark when Kabelo Dlamini’s ball into the box was deflected into the Leopard net by Machawe Dlamini. Ingwe Mabalabala then won a free-kick in a promising position. Andy Junior Magagula curled the set-piece towards the near post and it was kept out by a brilliant save from Siyabonga Mpontshane. Soon after, Shandu equalised for Pirates with his third goal in two CAF Confederation Cup matches when he ran onto a defence-splitting ball from Hotto and slotted clinically into the bottom left corner.

The 1995 CAF Champions League winners went in front right on the stroke of half-time when Peprah headed home with Hotto once again the provider to cap a frenetic first-half. The Soweto giants were clearly dominant in the early exchanges of the second half and made it 4-2 in the four minutes from the hour mark. Sifiso Matse gave away the free-kick and Hotto’s delivery was headed in by captain Jele, who was mobbed by his teammates.

vindicated

Dlamini vindicated his inclusion in the starting line-up when he cut inside from the right and arrowed the ball into the top right corner and curled a sumptuous effort into the far corner on the hour mark for the fifth. Pirates were running rampant and made it a four-goal advantage with 10 minutes to go. The Buccaneers countered quickly and Peprah showed his vision as he played a superb pass for Terrence Dzvukamanja, whose left-footed shot found the bottom right corner to complete the rout. The defending champions will arrive home today and focus will be on the league as they face Mbabane Highlanders on Wednesday in the E200 000 first round decider to be played at Mavuso.

Post your comment

Your name:

Your e-mail address:

Add your comments:

Please enter the code you see in the image:

Image:

Code: