Young Zebras out to finish off Seychelles
Mqondisi Dube | Tuesday October 6, 2026 10:06
The Young Zebras lead 2-1 from the first leg, played at the same venue last week. Seychelles opted to play their home tie in Gaborone. The two sides will be meeting in the reverse fixture at the same stadium today, where Botswana will be the home side. Michael Mogaladi's side was indebted to a double from man-of-the-moment Losika Ratshukudu, who struck a brace either side of half-time. Ratshukudu, who had starred for the Zebras in Tunisia four days earlier, was the key man for the junior national side, scoring from the spot in the ninth minute before a late free-kick in the second half won it for the away side.
But Seychelles levelled matters in the 17th minute as the two sides went into the break tied at 1-1. Looking ahead to the clash, coach Mogaladi said his boys were raring to go, with no major injury concerns. 'We are good. My only concern was Tsholo (Tsholofelo Speakson), otherwise we are good to go,' Mogaladi told MonitorSport. He said despite the first-leg lead, there is still work to be done in the second leg. 'There is still a lot to do. It is a new game and it's just like we are still at 0-0,' he said. Regarding Ratshukudu, who captains the side, Mogaladi said the Croatia-based star is looking good and now well rested after flying from North Africa with the Zebras. 'He is very sharp. On Friday, he was not up to his standard.
You could tell that he had fatigue, but him and Boikobo Rannyena are looking good,' the coach said. Rannyena was also part of the Zebras squad that travelled to North Africa for back-to-back Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Libya and Tunisia. The winner between Botswana and Seychelles will meet Guinea in the second round. The second-round first legs will be played on November 9, 2026, while the return matches scheduled for November 17, 2026.
The 14 nations that emerge from the second round will progress to the decisive third round, where seven two-legged ties will determine the teams that join Egypt for the finals. The first legs of the third round will be played on March 22, 2027, with the return fixtures scheduled for March 30, 2027.