The province of Limpopo continued to be on the spotlight as the second day of the 2018 Cosafa Cup got underway on Monday afternoon at the Old Peter Mokaba Stadium.
It was the Palancas Negras of Angola who faced Botswana ’s Zebras in an entertaining opening match of the day in Group B at 17:00.
For the Angolans, they wanted to continue with their dominance over Botswana, and David Bright's men were looking to make history by bagging their first win in the regional competition.
However, Srdan Vasiljevic’s troops could not contain their fast-paced opponents as they succumbed to a 2-1 loss in the group.
The Zebras were without their stars or Premier Soccer League-based players such as Mogakolodi Ngele, Mpho Kgaswane, yet they remained a threat.
History was made when two goals from Kabelo Seakanyeng and Onkabetse Makgantai dispatched Angola to ensure they start this year’s edition on a high.
Seakanyeng slotted in home a penalty in the fifth minute to give Botswana the lead, and Makgantai scored on the stroke of half time to make it 2-0.
However, their shaky defence allowed Angola to come back in the second half as they pulled one through Manha Kaporal in the 58th minute.
The win for Botswana over the Angolans in the tournament takes them to top of the standings as they share the position with Mauritius who beat Malawi - Angola move to the bottom of the log.
In the second match, coach Ronny Van Geneugden led his side in search of a win over the Islanders, yet they failed to hit the ground running.
With Baroka FC attacker Robin Ngalande in the starting line-up, Malawi enjoyed the support but they went into the tunnel trailing.
The encounter also saw an early goal when Damien Balisson got onto the score sheet in the 15th minute with a low shot in what was seen as a move against the run of play.
Despite keeping their counterparts under siege, Malawi were not clinical upfront, but they kept troubling coach Francisco Filho’s men.
Malawi had plenty of chances to make it 1-1 through Ngalande and ex-Orlando Pirates striker Chiukepo Msowoya, but the duo fired blanks.
The loss leaves ‘RVG’ and his troops in third position on the log table and Mauritius at number two whilst Botswana lead – they both have three points.
Meanwhile, the Zebras will now turn their focus to the Flames for their next clash on Wednesday whilst the Negras chase a win against Les Dodos on the same day.
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