Iqela loMzantsi Afrika labangaphantsi kweminyaka elishumi elinesixhenxe(17) nelaziwa njengaMajimbos ayeke ithuba elihle lokuphumelela umdlalo wokuqala neqela laseColombia eColombia ngolwesithathu umhla wamashumi amabini anesine(24) kule imiyo inyanga ukutsho oko phezolo.
Amajimbos ebehamba phambili ngamanqaku amabini eqanden(2-0) ngethuba ibuya kakubi iColombia ifaka elokuqala yaphinda yafaka elokulinganisa, nangona kunjalo umqeqeshi waMajimbos uVeli Khumalo nokwangumqeqeshi wabangaphantsi kwamashumi amabini anesithathu(23) eminyaka abadlali beKaizer Chiefs kwiDiski Challenge uvakalise ukungaxoli ngenqaku lesibini(2) kuba esithi unozinti ngethuba lokufakwa kwelanqaku ebemoshiwe kungenjalo ephazanyisiwe ngumdlali waseColombia kodwa unompempe khange ayinake nokuyinaka loo nto walivuma inqaku.
Iqela loMzantsi Afrika belihamba phambili ngethuba lesiqingatha sokuqala emva kwenqaku elihle elifakwe nguSteven Mendes kumzuzu wamashumi amathathu anesithathu(33rd), kuthe ukubuya kwabo ekhefini abafana bakaKhumalo bathatha apho bebeyeke khona kuba ngomzuzu wamashumi amahlanu anesixhenxe(57th) uSivuziwe Lonzi uye wafaka inqaku lesibini laMajimbos.
Kuthe kanti abafana bakaVeli abalazanga elidlalayo xa abafana baseColombia bebuyisa izitya kumzuzu wamashumi asixhenxe anethoba(79th) ngethuba uNick Mendez efaka inqaku lokubuyisela iColombia emdlalweni, iphindile iColombia yafaka elokulinganisa ngomzuzu wamashumi alithoba(90th) nje phambi kokuba uphele umdlalo ngenyawo lika-Edimilson Herazo.
Nangona Amajimbozi ephise ngamanqaku amabini sekuzakuphela umdlalo uVeli Khumalo ongumqeqeshi weliqela uthi uyazidla ngabafana bakhe kuba badlale kakuhle kakhulu kunjalo nje konke ebebefuna kwenzeke kwenzekile kunjalo nje uxolile uthe ibe yimpazamo nje kanozinti neyenzeke kwimizuzu emihlanu(5) yokugqibela phambi kokuba kuphele umdlalo. La maqela mabini azakuphinda adlale ngolwesithathu kwiveki ezayo umhla wokuqala(1st) kwinyanga kaCanzibe emva kokudlala ngokulingana ngamanqaku amabini macala(2-2) kumdlalo wokuqala wamazwe ngamazwe ehlabathi wobuhlobo.
By Siphiwo Boqwana