Africa-Press – Eswatini. Royal Leopard ……………………………(0)1
Junior 90th
Real de Bamako ………………………….(1)1
Kone 51st
GALLANT ROYAL Leopard kept their CAF Confederation Cup dream alive after salvaging a 1-all draw against Real de Bamako in the dying minutes of their playoffs clash yesterday afternoon.
The two sides met at Somhlolo National Stadium in the first leg encounter where Leopard had to come from behind to salvage a point against the West Africans.
The result means Leopard now need to pull a 1-0 away win or two goal draw against Bamako next week in order to advance to the group stages of the continent’s second premier club competition, which carries a E5 million carrot.
The first real threat came from Leopard in the fourth minute when Menzi Sithole’s shot forced an acrobatic save from the visiting goalkeeper Germain Berthe.
Bamako’s first decent attempt at goal came in the 11th minute when Moussa Kone saw his shot go high and off target.
Hard tackles were the order of the day for the visitors as they racked up the fouls, giving Leopard a lot of set piece chances. Junior Magagula got a free kick outside the box and nearly converted in the 25th minute, once again forcing a fine save from Berthe.
The match had a nervous break in play as Leopard goalkeeper Mlamuli Makhanya had to be assessed by the team of medics after a collision with Bamako’s Cheickna Diakite.
A defensive slip up by Thami Zulu put Moussa Kone through on goal but Makhanya made a fine save in the 35th minute.
A foul outside the box gave Bamako another chance at goal a minute later and Makan Samabali’s free kick was once again saved by the former Tambuti FC’s shotstopper.
Bamako finally broke the deadlock in the sixth minute of added time in the first half with Moussa Kone scoring what seemed to be a controversial goal. He looked to have poked the ball out of the keeper’s hands and into the net.
That proved to be the last piece of action in the first half as the referee blew for half time.
The second half saw Bamako start more confidently with a majority of possession.
Leopard made a substitute in the 55th minute, bringing on Lungelo Tsabedze for Bongani Dlamini. Leopard came close to equalising in the 63rd minute when some quick inter, passing saw them through but Senzelwe Dlamini saw his shot blocked. A double substitution followed as Leopard brought in Fanelo Tsabedze and Richard Arthur for Menzi Sithole and Senzelwe Dlamini respectively.
The changes helped ‘Ingwemabalabala’ come back into the match getting more chances at goal with the introduction of fresh legs. Despite all the chances, the home team could not find the quality in front of goal to pull one back as the match went into the closing minutes.
Richard Arthur squandered a golden chance in the 82nd minute ballooning his effort over the bar.
Leopard finally managed to restore parity in the 90th minute through a stunning Junior Magagula free kick.
The MTN Premier League defending champions’ new signing Richard Arthur hit the post in the first minute of four minutes added time.
At the other end of the field, the Leopard keeper made a fine last minute save in the 94th minute to deny Abdoulaye Mariko the winner.
Teams
Leopard
Mlamuli Makhanya, Menzi Sithole, Mzwandile Mabelesa, Mlamuli Msibi, Junior Magagula, Muzi Dlamini, Linda Mbuli, Senzelwe Dlamini, Mancoba Maseko, Thami Zulu, Bongani Dlamini.
Bamako
Germain Berthe, Emile Kone, Makan Samabali, Cheickna Diakite, Ibourahima Sidibe, Souleymane Coulibaly, Ismael Bamba, Boulkassou Diarra, Moussa Coulibaly, Chaka Sidibe.
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