FAIR AFCON DRAW FOR SIHLANGU

MBABANE – Sihlangu have again been drawn against Somalia, a nation closer to the basement of the global football charts,  in the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers preliminary round.

This draw presents an opportunity for Coach Dominic Kunene and his team to demonstrate their capabilities, especially as Kunene’s contract as the national team head coach is set to expire at the end of March, coinciding with the scheduled AFCON matches from March 20-26. The draw was conducted yesterday in Cairo, Egypt. In the previous meeting during the AFCON qualifiers back in March 2022, Sihlangu emerged victorious with a 5-1 aggregate win against the 198th-ranked Somalia. The first leg score was 3-0 before a 2-1 win in the return match.

Win

This victory propelled them to the group stages, where they faced Burkina Faso, Togo and Cape Verde. Eswatini did not secure a single win in the group stages, only earning points through draws. Notably, Burkina Faso and Cape Verde advanced to AFCON 2024, representing Sihlangu’s group well. Assistant Coach Sifiso ‘Nuro’ Ntibane emphasised the significance of approaching the upcoming fixture with caution, highlighting the unpredictability of underdog teams in recent AFCON tournaments. Ntibane stressed the need to avoid complacency and to adopt a fresh approach for the upcoming clash, acknowledging that past victories against Somalia hold no bearing in the upcoming game. Ntibane said the recent performances of ‘smaller teams’ in international competitions have ignited ambitions within the Sihlangu camp to qualify and represent the southern region effectively.

He also disclosed that the team has proposed to commence training next week, with a full-time camp scheduled for March 10, in preparation for the crucial fixture against Somalia.
Somalia, who are a place above the basement in Africa, are not in their best form as they last won a competitive match in 2019, where they beat Burundi 1-0 in the CECAFA Championship. In their recent World Cup qualifiers played on November 21, they lost 1-0 to Uganda and on November 16 they suffered a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Algeria.

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