Africa-Press – Eswatini. An unanswered late strike by Swallows’ Ayanda ‘Gandangada’ Gadlela against a plucky Denver Sundowns kept the capital city giants in the hunt for the E100 000 first round ‘carrot’.
Following a goalless draw against Madlenya in the previous outing, Caleb Ngwenya’s men needed a response when they made a short trip to Mavuso Sports Centre for the feisty MTN Premier League clash played before a roaring crowd of about 3 000 yesterday. It was a result that ensured that Swallows flew to the third spot, while also keeping the leading duo of Green Mamba and Madlenya in sight. For Sundowns, it was a setback in their quest to keep their place in the top eight, as they dropped to tenth.
It was a slow start for the hosts, as the opponents were first to the ball during the early exchanges, but they improved the intensity as the game progressed. While tackles flew in, the goalkeepers were rarely tested in the opening period. The scoreboard was unchanged when top referee Thokozani Dlamini signalled for the breather. On resumption of play, the home team sacrificed the ineffective duo of Sandile Hlatshwako and Siyabonga Zwane for Ncomo Gina and Orion Orion Samba. This helped Swallows to be in the ascendancy, while Sundowns remained resolute in defence. The latter had glaring frailties upfront while Enoch Kofi Kele who was a point of reference struggled with a knee injury. He was belatedly substituted for Andile Mavuso. Swallows injected more pace into their game, with second half substitute Gina making way for Tony ‘Ben 10’ Machacha.
space
In the dying minutes of the game, Sundowns did find pockets of space in the Swallows defence, especially through Siphamandla ‘24 Reasons’ Maseko. Just when the game looked destined for a goalless draw, ‘Gandaganda’, who recently rescued Swallows in fixtures against Royal Leopard and Nsingizini Hotspurs, fired the decisive punch after he was set up by Man of the Match Sizolethu ‘Nunu’ Shabalala four minutes from time. The goalkeeper, Bernard Nii Armah, was well-beaten. ‘Ben 10’ ballooned the ball over the crossbar from close range two minutes later when he was presented with an opportunity to double the advantage. It did not matter at the end for Swallows, as they were two points shy of the top spot at the end of the proceedings. The home supporters stayed long after the final whistle had gone, as they were ready to party all night, dancing to music projected through speakers at the stadium during what was dubbed a ‘Y’ello’ Sunday.
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