BUFFALOES DENY LEOPARD TOP SPOT

SITEKI – Royal Leopard were denied a chance to ascend to the top of the log as they were held to a dramatic 1-1 draw by Young Buffaloes.

The match began with a bang as Sifiso ‘Junior’ Mazibuko fired Buffaloes into the lead in the 20th minute.  As the clock ticked down, Junior Magagula emerged as the hero for Leopard, equalising in the 84th, minute. ‘Ingwe mabalabala’ had their opportunities to snatch victory, including an argumentative moment when a goal-bound effort was cleared off the line, sparking debates on whether the ball had fully-crossed the line.

This hard-fought draw saw the eight-time MTN Premier League champions cement their second spot but now level on 18 points with defending champions Mbabane Swallows. Swallows have an opportunity to reclaim top spot, which is occupied by Green Mamba, if they can win against Rangers, today. Meanwhile, Buffaloes remained fifth on the log with 14 points.
It did not take long for the action to unfold, yesterday. ‘Junior’ capitalised on a defensive error in the 20th minute, as he calmly broke the deadlock after a mix-up between Sifiso ‘Ayoba’ Matse and his goalkeeper, Mlamuli Makhanya.

However, Edwin Matsebula’s side were steadfast, despite the early setback. They created opportunities and got two free kicks which Captain Junior Magagula both sailed over the bar to leave the score unchanged at half-time. The second half saw Dominic Kunene’s charges nearly doubling their lead within seconds of the restart. Matse struck the post and the rebound was cleared. The derby heated-up as the game was mostly played in Buffaloes’ half. There were also some few incidents in the game which got physical, spicing its flair from after the hour mark. Buffaloes grabbed a couple of chances in the 66th and 71st munute through Sandile ‘Saviola’ Gamedze and Matse, but failed to convert them.

As the clock ticked against Leopard’s favour, they launched attacks from all cylinders. In the 82nd minute, a controversial moment saw Junior’s shot cleared off the line, sparking uproar from the Leopard bench and fans, who believed the ball had crossed the line. Two minutes later however, Junior found the back of the net in a goalmouth scramble, levelling the score. He beat Nxumalo in the near post, leaving him in disbelief for conceding  such a cheap goal.  Banele ‘Neymar’ Shongwe almost sealed the victory for Leopard with three minutes to go, but he was ruled offside. The game eventually ended in a draw, marking a fifth consecutive stalemate between the teams.

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