Football followers were surprised when they saw Chippa United midfielder Thamsanqa Sangweni playing in central defence during the Chilli Boys’ Nedbank Cup last 16 match against Cape Town City at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Gqeberha on Sunday.
Gqeberha-based Chilli Boys beat the Citizens 2-1 after extra time with goals from Augustine Kwem and Eva Nga Bienvenu while Abdul Ajagun scored for the Citizens.
Most people didn’t know that Chilli Boys coach Dan Malesela had no choice as his trusted central defence pair of Frederic Nsabiyumva and Isaac Nhlapo were unavailable due to different reasons.
Nsabiyumva missed the match because he was not feeling well while Nhlapo was serving a suspension after receiving a red card in a DStv Premiership match against TS Galaxy.
“It wasn’t an easy game. The guys worked very hard. For me playing at centre back I was aware of that because Freddie was not feeling well and Nhlapo had a red card. I think I did well with the guys around,” Sangweni said.
The 31-year-old Sangweni is expected to produce the same performance when the Chilli Boys clash with the Citizens in a DStv Premiership encounter at Mdantsane’s Sisa Dukashe Stadium in East London on Wednesday (15h00).
“I think the approach is going to be the same. Again, it’s gonna be a very difficult game. I think it’s a game we have to win based on the position we are in,” the former Chilli Boys captain said.
The Chilli Boys are 12th on the Premiership table with 15 points from 16 games. On the other hand, the Citizens are seventh with 20 points from 17 matches.
