SWAZILAND AND ZAMBIA DRAW

To use an old sportswriters’ cliché, Swaziland has gone soccer crazy over the past week or so as qualifying games for the FIFA World Cup have been taking place.

Last week Swaziland (known to supporters as ‘Sihlangu’) beat Togo 2-1 – the first soccer match of any kind that Swaziland had won in six years. Togo had appeared in the last FIFA World Cup finals in 2006, so were a team to reckon with.

Yesterday (15 June 2006), Swaziland managed a creditable nil-nil draw against Zambia. Sihlangu now tops the log table of its group.

Today (16 June 2008), Zambian newspapers have been commenting on the match – and unusually for newspapers who support the ‘other team’, they have had some respectful things to say about Sihlangu.

Here, courtesy of the website zambiafootball.com, are some of those reports (with a couple from Swaziland thrown in for good measure).

Barren Draw - Zambia Daily Mail

“We came for a win. Swaziland is not an easy team and I now understand why Togo lost. Swaziland played with a good heart. We played but not enough to win,” Renard said.

Mashaba said he was happy with the result because Zambia were not an easy team to overcome.

“I said before the game that it would be a difficult game. There was more intelligence than the Togo game. The result shows it’s no longer easy to win at home,” Mashaba said.

Close to 10 000 national team, Sihlangu supporters left the Somhlolo National Stadium not knowing whether to laugh or cry after the nation’s pride held its own to force a tame goalless draw against a tactically astute Zambia’s Chipolopolo in a pulsating Africa Cup/World Cup 2010 qualifier here yesterday.

Then came a defining moment in the 74th minute that almost caused a few cardiac arrests inside the stadium when Tony ‘TT’ Tsabedze made a suicidal back pass to the goalkeeper, only for Jacob Mulenga to steal the ball and round off Njabuliso before laying for Christopher Katongo, who ballooned the ball over the bar.

Swaziland hold Zambia - Times of Zambia

SWAZILAND held Zambia to a barren draw here to continue with their series of surprise results in their march towards the 2010 World Cup and African Cup soccer finals.

In this match played at Somhlolo stadium, Zambia put up a blistering second-half performance and crafted a myriad of scoring opportunities but still could not crack a stubborn Swazi side.Before the match started, the Zambian officials, who included FAZ president Kalusha Bwalya, his deputy Emmanuel Munaile, Mwamelo and a Zambian diplomat accredited to Swaziland, Damales Chamolyo, were denied entry into Somhlolo national stadium and they spent almost over 30 minutes outside before entering.

"It was too bad for our delegation and we didn’t anticipate it from Swaziland. But then, we have concluded that this was a ploy to get back to us as Swaziland complained that they were exposed to sub-standard treatment while in Lusaka for the inaugural CAF African National Championships Tournament. I don’t believe this was the way to go for the Swazi FA more so because they knew we were coming. Another thing that angered us is that they failed to even recognize our government representative madam Damales Chamyolo," Kalusha told the Times of Swaziland.

The gatekeepers had refused entry to the officials, claiming that the Swaziland team was mistreated in Zambia when it came for the African Nations Championships qualifier last month. The Zambian officials were forced to just negotiate their way into the stadium.

Swazis hold Zambia - Zambia's The Post

ZAMBIA’S chances for a place at the 2010 World Cup were yesterday thrown into complete disarray following a barren draw against Swaziland at Somhlolo Stadium in Mbabane.The result leaves the Chipolopolo Boys with the slimmest of chances to get to both the Africa Cup in Angola and the World Cup in South Africa.

Coach Herve Renard’s side is reeling in third position with a single point and no goal after 180 minutes of action.It is one of Zambia’s poorest and extremely dismal performances to the start of any qualifying series.In fact, the last decade has never seen the Chipolopolo Boys launch their campaign on such an embarrassing note – a point without a single goal – after two matches.After the match, Renard conceded it was a tough assignment: “We came for a win. Swaziland is not an easy team. I now understand why Togo lost. Swaziland played with good heart. We played well but not enough to win.”

Oh, so close! - Times of Swaziland

Like a good Chinese take away, Sihlangu were ‘delicious’ to force a draw against Zambia and keep the hopes of qualifying for the Africa Cup of Nations and World Cup 2010 alive.

After yesterday’s tame goalless draw, which still leaves Swaziland looking down the rest in the pole position of Group 11, there is no iota of doubt even to the most patriotic Swazi that it will now take more than just gusts, courage, commitment, perfect game plan and luck to win the two away games – in Zambia on Sunday and against Togo in October.

To say Sihlangu can win both away games after so many flaws in their performance yesterday, which lacked the fizz and zest we saw against Togo, would be like applying for a membership of a doomsayer’s choir.

That, however, doesn’t change the fact that the nation’s pride is very much in it despite dropping two precious points at home.The fate of the nation now lies elsewhere – the result of the Togo/Zambia game though they would still need to get a win in any of the two away games.

Subdued atmosphere at Somhlolo National Stadium - Swazi Observer

IT was a subdued atmosphere at the Somhlolo National Stadium after the nation’s pride fell short of courage to settle for a goalless draw against Zambia.For obvious reasons, people were not sure whether or not to celebrate the end result as it still puts Sihlangu at the summit of the log standings in the group with Zambia and Togo.

Against the tough and disciplined Zambian side, it was always going to be difficult for Ephraem ‘Shakes’ Mashaba charges to get a result, no matter how committed his players were.Zambia kept their shape, kept possession nicely and stood firm in defence.

To their credit, Sihlangu’s defence, though constantly under pressure performed reasonably well, particularly left-back Raphael Ntimane and the two central defenders Zakhele Manyatsi and Sihawu Dlamini.Not even the first half pep talk from the country’s Prime Minister Themba Dlamini could work wonders for Sihlangu as goals proved as scarce as water in a desert.

Realistically, Sihlangu faces a mammoth task in the two remaining games but two away draws may just take the local squad to the next phase of the competition. Did I hear you say football is an unpredictable game? Damn right!