LOBAMBA – Eswatini international and Betway Premiership outfit Chippa United forward Justice ‘Figa’ Figuareido has been identified as a deadly threat to Eritrea.
This was revealed by their Egyptian tactician Heshan Yakan during yesterday’s pre-match briefing held at Somhlolo National Stadium. Yakan, who was in the company of two translators. These were players Ali Suleiman, who translated Arabic for his counterpart Nahom Netabay based in Sweden to their Eritrean language, before the former converted to English. Suleiman, based in Egypt scored one goal against Sihlangu. Eritrea arrived in the country on Sunday and are currently camping at the luxurious Happy Valley Hotel.
“Eswatini has quality players. However, one player who proved to be dangerous is the jersey number seven (Figuareido). Regardless, we saw how he plays and will work on closing him down,” he shared.
The gaffer further said scoring in their first leg was a good thing for his side.
“The game was good. We were able to score goals in the second half. We are happy to be in Eswatini. The treatment received since we arrived has been overwhelming,” he said. Eritrea delayed training yesterday because their kit had not yet arrived in the country. As per the packaging from Morocco, their items were written the final destination, OR Tambo, on the paperwork. However, plans have been made to collect it prior to their match, as confirmed by the trio.
Sihlangu return to the battlefield under massive pressure.
This is after suffering a 0-2 deficit against Eritrea last Wednesday during the first leg encounter. The defeat was somehow humiliating, as Eritrea ended their over 18 years of isolation from the AFCON with a victory. This left Eswatini with a huge mountain to climb, as they now need to score at least three unanswered goals. This will mark the completion of their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) preliminary rounds. The clash is set for 4pm today at Somhlolo National Stadium. The aggregate winners advance to the group stage, which will consist of 12 four-nation mini-leagues from September.
Sihlangu’s recent defeat to Eritrea has come with a heavy price from FIFA’s ranking system.
The shock defeat is not just a blow to the nation’s pride, but it is a statistical setback that is already haunting the nation in the upcoming rankings.
As the International Federation of Football Associations (FIFA) men’s break has not concluded, the unofficial rankings signal a two-place drop published in the global motherbody’s website.
Eswatini has dropped from the January 19, 2026 rank of 159 to 161 in the standings ahead of the final and official ones to be released tomorrow. The Red Sea Camels occupy 189th spot. The away defeat, as per the FIFA website, demonstrates that the upset saw 16.11 points docked from the kingdom, taking it down from 1011 to 994.40 points.
However, the temporary standing could possibly change if Eswatini casts out its demons and beats Eritrea today during the return match.
Sihlangu tactician Sifiso ‘Nuro’ Ntibane said they would not allow pressure to overrule their performance.
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