E9.7M BATTLE DOWN TO THE WIRE

MANZINI – They are still in it.

That is Royal Leopard who kept their hopes of reaching the group stages alive yesterday when they forced a 1-all draw against Cameroon side Coton Sport here yesterday. The winner between the two sides will reach the group stages with a minimum E9.7 million guaranteed, while the loser will drop to the CAF Confederation Cup. The battle between the two sides is not over yet as they will face each other next Saturday away in Cameroon, kick-off is 3pm. Coton Sport was favoured to win the match considering that they were highly ranked when compared to the police side. They rank 17th best in the continent, while Leopard are 54th. Coton Sport scored one of the fastest goals when Philippe Banen beat goalkeeper Mlamuli Makhanya inside six yards, while Leopard players were still settling in. It was the early goal that set high the tempo of the game under the scotching heat that soared to over 30 Degrees Celsius.

The visitors dominated the game in the opening minutes, enjoying much of the ball possession. They also created some scoring chances, with goalkeeper Mlamuli called to action time and again. He had to tip the ball over the bar in the half-hour mark from a goalscorer Philippe strike. Leopard scoring chance came in the 35th minutes after a water break when Ghana striker Richard Arthur, who was making his second appearance for the team header was saved by the goalkeeper. Three minutes later, Sifiso Matse was allowed to surge inside the 18 area with the ball and he curved a hard shot beating the goalkeeper, Gadin Allambatna, equalising for Leopard. That was a relief for Coach Edwin Matsebula, as the game went for the break with a 1-all draw.

In the second half, both teams were cautious as they defended in numbers with few chances created. Leopard rested Arthur for Senzelwe Dlamini and Menzi Sithole for Bongani Ndzimandze but there was little they did to change the game. With 10 minutes before full-time, Leopard failed to score when Coton Sport goalkeeper Gadin made a brilliant save from Sifiso Matse’s well taken shot. At the closing minutes of the game, Leopard goalkeeper Mlamuli also brilliantly saved a shot by Felix. The second leg match will be a do or die for Leopard as Coton Sport has an advantage of the away goal. A draw can only be enough for Leopard if they could score more than once.

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