He scored a brace this past weekend
TLOTLO KEBINAKGABO
The Zebras winger and former Baroka FC midfielder Mpho Kgaswane is making his name known in the Azerbaijan Premier League after netting a brace this past weekend.
Returning from an ankle injury that ruled him out for two weeks, Kgaswane scored a brace when his team Zira FC lost 4-2 at the hands of Neftchi FC. Kgaswane`s brace took his goal tally to three in the league and also marked a historic feet for his club as they now have scored 200 goals in their overall history.
“Im really happy for scoring two goals, it shows that I am growing as a player and this gives me confidence going into the next games,” the former Gaborone United winger stated. “One other thing that makes me happy is that it was my first game back from injury, it was a good comeback for me even though my team lost.”
Kgaswane is confident that his displays in the Azerbaijan top league will get him a long term contract from his team if not attract attention of other top football clubs in Europe. The Mmankgodi born player joined Zira FC from Baroka FC in January after enjoying a successful stay which saw him winning the Telkom Knockout after defeating Orlando Pirates through penalties in the final.
Kgaswane is also on the verge of becoming the first Motswana football player to play in the Union of European Football Association (UEFA) Europa League. This is after his team (Zira Fc) made it to the semi-finals of the Azerbaijan Cup.
His team qualified for the semi-finals of the Azerbaijan cup last year December after defeating Sebail Fc 4-2 in aggregate, the cup also serves as a qualifier for the UEFA Europa League.
The former Uniao Flamengo Santos man’s new club will play Sumqayit FC in the first leg encounter of the Azerbaijan Cup semi-finals scheduled for the 23rd of April at a venue to be confirmed. The other semi-final will tie Qarabag FC against Qabala FC.
Although Kgaswane said qualifying for the Europa league would be a dream come true, he maintains that his focus is on helping the club cement a respectable position at the end of the season.
“Our target is to finish in a better position and we will. The difference between us and teams ahead is not that much, this is something which gives us hope that we can attain our target,” he told Gazette Sport earlier last month.
The past weekend’s loss means the team is now placed in sixth position with 22 points from 23 games.