Sekukhethwa indlubu eziwele ephokweni kumncintiswano wenguqu owokudinga intshantshu zezwekazi laseAfrica.
Iqembu leSenegal liyadibana leleGuinea kusasa ntambama emdlalweni wesibaya sikaGroup C livele selifinyelele ukuyadlala kusigaba esilandelayo esomncintiswano ngemva kokubuthelela imiklomelo eyisithupha kumidlalo yalo emibili eyakuqala.
Owadlalela amaqembu abalisa eleHighlanders kanye leleDynamos uSimon “Makwee” Sibanda uthi leliqembu litshengise obala ukuba lizimisele ukuvikela isicoco seAfrica Cup of Nations.
“ISenegal ngibona angathi yilo iqembu eselikhangelelwe ngabanengi ukuba yilo elingaphinda liyiphakamise inkezo, yona leMorocco. Yiwo amaqembu engibona angathi engafinyelela ukuyadlala kufinal. Elinye iqembu okungamelanga silidelele ngeleSouth Africa ngoba lingavele lenelise ukunqoba eleTunisia liyabe lingafika lakusigaba se semi – final.”
Iqembu leSenegal lihlezi phezu kwesibaya sikaGroup C lilemiklomelo eyisithupha kuthi ngemva kwalo kule Guinea elemiklomelo emine. Iqembu leCameroon lona elizadibana leleGambia lihlezi endaweni yesithathu njalo lilomklomelo owodwa okutsho ukuba kumele linqobe eleGambia elingela ngitsho lowodwa umklomelo ukuze lithuthukise amathuba alo awokudlulela kusigaba esilandelayo esomncintiswano.
Owadlalela iqembu leZimbabwe Saints uBlessing Lunga uthi imidlalo yalonyaka ilezimanga kodwa isifiso sakhe ngesokuthi iqembu leCameroon lingabuyeli ekhaya masinya.
“Imidlalo yeAFCON lonyaka ilezimanga ungakhangela ngendlela amaqembu afana laboNamibia kanye laboCameroon adlale ngayo kumidlalo yawo eyeduleyo. Ungakhangela khathesi iqembu leCameroon lisebunzimeni kodwa ngilethemba elokuba bazadlala kuhle emdlalweni wabo owesithathu njalo ungowokucina owezibaya.”
Iqembu leSouth Africa lizadlala leleTunisia ngoLwesithathu emdlalweni wesibaya sikaGroup E njalo umqeqetshi womdlalo wenguqu uGift “Ghetto” Nkala uthi kuzamele libophe ziqine ngoba wonke amaqembu akusibaya lesi esaselawo amathuba awokudlulela phambili.
“ISouth Africa isingaba yingozi njengoba isike yanqoba. Baguqule indlela abadlale ngayo ngemva kokuba kumdlalo wakuqala bedlale bececisa kakhulu ikanti izolo badlale bejonge ukuyaphambili bedinga ukuyahlohla. Ngibona angani nxa bengaqhubekela phambili bedlala ngendlela abadlale ngayo izolo kungantshintsha izinto.”
Omunye njalo umqeqetshi womdlalo wenguqu uMduduzi Mpofu laye uvumelane loNkala ukuba ukucecisa yikho okuphazamisa iqembu leSouth Africa.
“AbeSouth Africa kumele baguqule indlela abacabanga ngayo. Bakhethe ukuba bafuna ukunqoba yini kumbe bafuna ukudlalela ukuzikholisela nje kuphela bececisa. Siyakwazi ukuba badume ngebhola elokucecisa kodwa kumele baguqule izenzo ngoba nxa bengenza njalo bengafika khatshana.”
Iqembu leMali yilo elihlezi phezu kwengalane yesibaya sikaGroup E lilemiklomelo emine kuthi eleSouth Africa lisendaweni yesibili lilemiklomelo emithathu ikanti leleNamibia lona elihlezi endaweni yesithathu lalo lilemiklomelo emithathu kodwa lingaphansi ngemva kokuba libhaxabulwe ngeleSouth Africa nge 4 ka nya ngeSonto.
Emsileni wengalane kuleqembu leTunisia elilomklomelo owodwa.
Umlandeli womdlalo wenguqu uAlex Sibanda uthi iqembu leZambia lona selidinga umthandazo ngoba libhekane leqembu leMorocco emdlalweni walo owokucina kusibaya sikaGroup F.
“ISenegal kusegcekeni ukuthi izafika khatshana kumbe icine vele ithethe futhi. Sikhangelele laboMali. IZambia yona sokungaya ngenhlanhla kuthi iSouth Africa sekuthembisa ngoba phela isilemiklomelo emithathu, sekungenzeka iyehlulekela phambili.”
Imidlalo yezibaya iyafika emaphethelweni ngoLwesithathu okuyikho lapho okuzacaca ukuba yiwaphi amaqembu adlulela phambili.
Amaqembu amabili azabe ehlezi phezu kwengalane ngasibaya sinye ayathola ilungelo lokuya kusigaba esilandelayo esomncintiswano ndawonye lamaqembu amane ayabe elemiklomelo eminengi ayabe ehlezi endaweni yesithathu.