MBABANE-Eswatini’s senior women’s handball team suffered a narrow 20-17 defeat to Namibia in their opening Zone VI encounter on Tuesday afternoon.
The two sides were evenly matched in the first half, with the scores locked at 8-8 at the interval.
Eswatini continued to compete strongly after the restart, but Namibia held their nerve in the closing stages to secure the three-goal victory.
The result leaves Eswatini with work to do in Group A, which also features hosts Zambia and South Africa.
The match formed part of the inaugural senior International Handball Federation (IHF) Nations Trophy Africa Zone VI tournament, which is being staged in Lusaka from September 15-19. The competition features eight nations divided into two groups, with Eswatini drawn alongside Zambia, Namibia and South Africa.
Eswatini now turn their attention to hosts Zambia, whom they face today, September 16, at 4pm at the Olympic Youth Development Centre.
The encounter will be another stern test for the side, which is making its debut at senior level in the Zone VI tournament.
The team will then conclude its group-stage campaign against South Africa on September 17 at 6pm.
With the top teams progressing to Friday’s semi-finals, Eswatini will be looking to bounce back against Zambia and keep their hopes of advancing alive.
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