By Lwazi Dlamini
(At Mavuso Sports Centre)
A ruthless Royal Leopard trashed Mbabane Swallows 4-2 to blow into smithereens any hopes of the Capital City giants of playing in the CAF Confederation Cup later this year.
The police side dominated the fiercely contested clash in the first half when Swallows looked lethargic despite having had two goal-line clearances in the opening ten minutes.
The league’s leading goal-scorer, Felix Badenhorst saw his glancing header from a Nhlanhla Ngwenya cross in the 9th minute cleared off the line by defender Simanga Masangane.
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Two minutes later, Mzwandile Mabelesa cleared off the line a shot by defender, Kingu Pemba. Then two minutes later, Leopard took the lead through Lungelo Tsabedze. The former Mbabane Highlanders striker hit the roof of the net with a thunderbolt after Swallows’s defence was caught napping.
Sifiso ‘Junior’ Magagula made it 2-0 ten minutes later after picking a well-weighted pass from Sifiso Matse and going through the Swallows’s defence like a rhino going through spiderwebs before firing a low shot past goalkeeper Sandanezwe Mathabela.
As the game swung from one end to another, Swallows pulled one back when Sizolwethu Shabalala fired into the roof of the net from inside the box, beating Leopard goalkeeper, Mlamuli Makhanya hands down.
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But a minute before half-time, two-goal hero, Junior Magagula curled a free kick into the far corner of the net to restore the two-goal advantage for the police side.
South African striker Thabiso Mokenkoane made it 4-1 finishing off a cross from Sandziso Tsabedze on the right flank with five minutes left on the clock.
Swallows did get a face-saver when Wonder ‘Samba Jive’ Nhleko converted a penalty with three minutes left on the clock. But it was a case of too little too late as hopes of playing in the CAF Confederation Cup were well and truly over.
