Zimbabwean club FC Platinum advanced to the second preliminary round of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Champions League after a 0-0 draw with Eswatini’s Nsingizini Hotspurs on Saturday. The result at the Mavuso Sports Centre gave FC Platinum a 1-0 victory on aggregate, following their win in the first leg of the tie.
The second-leg match concluded without any goals from either side. FC Platinum entered the contest with a one-goal advantage and maintained its defensive structure to secure passage to the next stage of the continent’s premier club football competition.
The decisive goal of the two-legged fixture was scored during the first match on Aug. 19. FC Platinum midfielder Jarrison Selemani scored in the first half to give his team a 1-0 victory. That game was held at the Obed Itani Chilume Stadium in Francistown, Botswana. FC Platinum played their designated home fixture in Botswana because stadiums in Zimbabwe did not meet the standards required by CAF for hosting international matches.
Following the draw in Eswatini, FC Platinum coach Norman Mapeza addressed the team’s performance. In post-match comments reported by Zimbabwean media, Mapeza acknowledged the difficulty of the match but noted the primary objective was to advance.
“The most important thing for us was the result,” Mapeza stated. “We knew it was not going to be easy here, but at the end of the day, we got the result we wanted, which is to go to the next round of the tournament.”
The elimination marks the end of Nsingizini Hotspurs’ campaign in their first appearance in the CAF Champions League.
With the aggregate victory, FC Platinum will now face Angolan club Primeiro de Agosto in the second preliminary round. The winner of that two-legged tie will advance to the group stage of the competition.
