BRAVE LIONS F.C. STUN STONEBREAKERS F.C. TO WIN SUPER LEAGUE PLAY-OFFS
RES Siyakha 1800 North West League champions, Brave Lions F.C. beat Stonebreakers F.C. 7-6 on penalties to win promotion to Swazi Trac Lubombo Super League. The decisive match was played at Ka-Langa Stadium on Sunday.
In what can be termed a dramatic come-back, the Vuvulane based outfit cancelled a 0-2 deficit to force the match into the dreaded penalty shootout. This was after Stonebreakers F.C., who are from the Lubombo Western Zone, had taken the lead early in the first half.
With 25 minutes left before full-time, Brave Lions F.C. scored their first goal via the boot of Siyabonga Shongwe. That goal proved to have brought a new dimension of the match, with Brave Lions F.C. now pushing for an all-important equalizer while Stonebreakers F.C. were hoping to keep the lead until the final whistle.
Brave LionsF.C.’s never-say-die spirit finally paid off in the 87th minute as Siko Nkambule scored the equalizer to make it 2-2 and forced the match into penalty shootout. It is now history that Lions roared louder to ‘break the stones’ of Stonebreakers with a 7-6 win on penalties, much to the jubilation of their supporters.
UMNJEZI F.C. ARE MALINDZA ZONAL KNOCKOUT CHAMPIONS
Umnjezi FC beat Promising Stars F.C. 2-1 after extra time to win the Malindza Zonal E30 700 Knockout tournament. The finals of the tournament were played at Mpaka Stadium popularly known as Malahleni in Malindza.
The nerve-wrecking encounter started in a very high tempo, with both sides demonstrating high level of determination to win the match. The hordes of football supporters who watched the match were kept at the edge of their seats for the entire 120 minutes as both sides created dangerous attacks that could have seen the match going either ways.
With the scoreline reading 1-1 in 90 minutes, the match proceeded to extra time where Umnjezi F.C. scored what turned out to be the winning goal. Umnjezi F.C. are proving to be a force to reckon with, as they also won the Malindza Zonal League title.
In the third-place final which also played on the day, Umseshi F.C. beat Highway F.C. 13-12 in penalties after settling for a 2-all draw in regulation time. It was a great day for Malindza football as people from all different walks of life crammed the venue to be part of the festivities.
Amongst the notable faces were Lubombo Regional Football Association (LRFA) Executive Committee Members, Thokozani Shongwe and Lucky Dlamini as well as local league committee members Peter Vilakati and Bongani Dlamini.
Reached for comment, Peter Vilakati thanked all the stakeholders for a successful tournament. He further revealed that the prize presentation will be conducted next week in a venue to be confirmed.
FULL RESULTS
Third place place play-off
Umseshi 2-2 Highway
Umseshi won 13-12 on penalties
Finals
Umnjezi 2-1 Promising Stars
(After extra time)
Young Stars F.C 2-5 Rio Academy
Motivators F.C. 4-0 Equator F.C.