Cape Town - A fired-up Mbabane Swallows handed Platinum Stars a 4-2 defeat in a CAF Confederation Cup Group B game at a packed Somhlolo National Stadium on Tuesday.
The home team got off to a flying start and after two chances on goal went wide, they took the lead in as early as the fifth minute after the ball rebounded off a Stars defender to Sabelo Ndzinisa, who despite miscuing his first effort, was able to scramble the ball home at the second attempt.
Ndzinisa doubled their lead just two minutes later when he raced into the near-post area to glance in a header from a corner.
Swallows continued to look dangerous but Stars were able to pull a goal back on 20 minutes when Benson Shilongo netted unconvincingly from the spot after what appeared to be a soft penalty.
Ndzinisa was then unlucky not to restore his team's two-goal cushion when his 30-yard screamer thumped into the woodwork 10 minutes before half-time.
Dikwena were to earn yet another penalty, in the 44th minute, after dubious call for a handball. But this time home keeper Sandile Ginindza came out trumps after diving the right way to keep out Abia Nale's effort.
The South Africans looked more purposeful after the restart and Ginindza twice made good saves to keep out Shilongo.
However, Swallows were to get their third goal just after the hour mark when Stars failed to clear a ball in to the box and Ndzinisa reacted quickest to prod the ball home for his hat-trick.
Ndzinisa wasn't finished yet and he scored his fourth goal of the game when he ran clear down the right flank before firing in expertly from the edge of the box to make sure there was no way back for a somewhat shell-shocked visiting team.
Things got worse for Dikwena after defender Gift Sithole was red-carded late on after preventing a possible goal-scoring chance with a foul.
Shilongo pulled another goal back – once again from the spot, but it was too little too late for the Premiership club.