Seychelles succumb 4-0 to Swaziland, halting progress in COSAFA Cup

Photo of the Seychelles senior national team taken prior to their 1st COSAFA match against Madagascar on Saturday in Namibia. (Seychelles Football Federation)

(Seychelles News Agency) - The Seychelles national football team squandered their opportunity to move on to the next stage in the COSAFA Castle Cup tournament in Namibia after losing 4-0 to Swaziland on Monday.

After losing 1-0 to Madagascar in their first match, Seychelles needed a win in their second match to stand a chance of moving to the knock-out stage.

The boys of Coach Ralph Jean-Louis' team, however, found it difficult to fend off the quick attacks of Swaziland, and 15 minutes into the match Felix Badenhorst gave the Southern African team their first goal. Badenhorst also scored the second one, making the half-time score 2-0.

Things did not improve for Seychelles, a group of 115 islands in the western Indian Ocean, when they came back after the break, conceding another two goals from Nlovo and Tahiana.

The final score of 4-0 propelled Swaziland to the top of Group A with 4 points. Madagascar, who earned a goalless draw against Zimbabwe, are now 2nd, also with 4 points, and Zimbabwe is 3rd with 2 points. Seychelles sit at the bottom with no points after two matches.

The COSAFA Castle Cup tournament is organised every year by the Council of Southern Africa Football Associations. Namibia, the host of this year’s edition, is the current title holder.

Seychelles' next match is on Wednesday against Zimbabwe at 8 pm at the Sam Nujoma Stadium.