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Noel Munzabwa in Mbabane, Swaziland Swaziland 1-0 Guinea
A 46TH minute strike by Sabelo Sikhali Ndzinisa at Somhlolo Stadium yesterday cleared the hurdle for the Warriors’ third appearance at the Africa Cup of Nations finals in Gabon next January. While Ndzinisa’s strike gave Sihlangu three points, rekindling their hopes for a maiden Afcon dance as one of the two best finishers, Zimbabwe shot to an unassailable lead in Group L with a 3-0 win over Malawi in Harare.
After a lacklustre opening half that saw a series of missed chances by both teams, it was Sihlangu coach Harries Madze Bulunga, who seemed to have inspired his players during the breather. From the resumption of the second half, captain Tony Tsabedze released Felix Badenhorst, who deceived his marker on the flank with a deft run before squaring for Ndzinisa, who obliged with powerful strike for the winner.
If Swaziland do qualify as one of the two best runners-up, this will be the goal Bulunga will remember for reshaping that destiny, especially after the disastrous 0-4 thumping by Zimbabwe on Easter Monday.
“We remain focused for our Malawi match and who knows, we could make it. Congratulations to Zimbabwe for winning the group,” said Bulunga. With this win, Sihlangu completed a historic double over Guinea following their 2-1 win in Morocco in the group opener.
Swaziland have not lost at home since June 2013 when they went down 0-1 to Angola in a Chan qualifier. Sierra Leone, Angola and Nigeria have all left with draws against Sihlangu since that June 23, 2013 defeat to Angola when the home side was under Belgian coach Vallery Billen.
Just around the same time that Knowledge Musona was converting a first half penalty for the Warriors in Harare yesterday, Sihlangu’s Badenhorst was curling a free kick just inches over the bar. With the hosts now dictating the pace, Badenhorst went on to miss scoring opportunities in the 21st and 23rd minutes.
Badenhorst then chose to supply Ndzinisa in the second half and besides the one he converted, he missed easier chances until the final whistle. There were wild celebrations at Somhlolo Stadium soon after the final whistle, but they quickly died down as news filtered that Zimbabwe had hammered Malawi.
The Warriors will travel to Conakry in September for a dead rubber, while Sihlangu will need a convincing win in Blantyre against Malawi to finish among the best two runners-up.
Group L Log
P W D L F A Pts
Zimbabwe 5 3 2 0 11 3 11
Swaziland 5 2 2 1 6 6 8
Guinea 5 1 2 2 4 4 5
Malawi 5 0 2 3 4 4 2
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