MBABANE – Nsingizini Hotspurs Head Coach Mandla Qhogi remains optimistic despite seeing his side slide to a narrow 1-0 defeat against Zimbabwean champions Scottland FC.
The Eswatini side faced an uphill battle in their Confederation of African Football (CAF) Champions League preliminary round first-leg tie at the reopened National Sports Stadium in Harare on Sunday. Ghanaian central defender Kingsley Kwakyi was sent off in just the third minute after a challenge on Namibian defensive midfielder Moses Shidolo.
Despite playing almost the entire match down to 10men, Nsingzini limited the hosts to a solitary goal. Qhogi praised his squad’s tactical discipline under immense pressure while questioning the severity of the referee’s early decision.
“The early red card to Kingsley Kwakyi put us under pressure,” Qhogi explained. “We had to change the strategy to avoid opening up spaces at the back.”
Addressing the early dismissal, Qhogi stressed that while he was not a match official, he felt the foul warranted a yellow card rather than a red, as it was not reckless.
Despite the numerical disadvantage, the visitors’ tactical readjustment limited the damage and kept their continental hopes alive.
“Our boys did very well,” Qhogi said. “We stand a chance as we are still to play a second leg at home. The second leg is open; We can both score. This is a good result that we think is easy to change. We managed to maintain possession and put them under pressure.”
Scottland FC Coach Norman Mapeza acknowledged the slim margin, stressing the need for his side to be more cautious in the return fixture given their slender lead.
The crucial second leg takes place this coming weekend at the Somhlolo National Stadium, where Nsingizini Hotspurs will look to overturn the deficit and advance to the next round.
If you overturn that win by Scottland FC, I promise I will finally start respecting Eswatini teams. Your team was extremely lucky yesterday—we were aiming to hammer them 5–0! Trust me, there is no way they are going to beat Scottland FC.