Second-placed Lifofane Football Club (FC) saw their title hopes further fizzling out after suffering a narrow 1–0 defeat to LDF FC in Maseru on Thursday.
The high-flying Botha-Bothe outfit has now stumbled in back-to-back matches against two traditional heavyweights of Lesotho football, LDF and Lioli FC. Prior to their clash with LDF, Lifofane were edged 3–2 by Lioli in a fiercely contested encounter.
Despite the two-match losing streak, Lifofane remain firmly in the Vodacom Premier League (VPL) title race, although they have now been overtaken by the equally impressive Lijabatho FC. Both sides have been among the league’s pace-setters for much of the season.
During the midweek fixtures played on Wednesday, Lijabatho delivered a commanding 4–1 victory over Manonyane FC to climb to the top of the table.
Bantu FC secured a narrow 1–0 win against Majantja FC, while Maroala FC recorded a rare 1–0 triumph over struggling Liphakoe FC.
Defending champions Lioli were held to a goalless draw by LMPS FC, while Matlama FC and LCS FC also settled for a 0–0 stalemate. Machokha FC and Members FC were likewise inseparable after playing to a goalless draw.
The Lifofane versus LDF encounter was the only match played on Thursday, with the army side emerging victorious.
Prior to the midweek fixtures, Linare produced a spirited comeback to defeat Bantu 2–1 at Setsoto Stadium last Saturday, keeping their momentum alive in the second round of the 2025/2026 Vodacom Premier League season as the title race intensifies.
The victory was particularly significant for Linare, who had lost the first-round meeting against Bantu earlier in the campaign. Determined to respond, the Hlotse-based side showed resilience to overturn an early setback and secure three valuable points.
Bantu struck almost immediately after kickoff when MotseKhiba found the back of the net just two minutes into the match, putting the Mafeteng-based side ahead and briefly silencing the home crowd.
Linare responded with determination and gradually grew into the game. Their persistence paid off when Tšepang Sefalie equalised, restoring parity and igniting an intense contest between the two sides.
With both teams pushing for the lead, Linare eventually found the decisive breakthrough in the 39th minute of the first half when Norman Kumatse struck the winning goal.
The result lifted Linare to seventh position on the league table with 38 points from 22 matches, while Bantu remained fourth with 41 points.
At the summit of the standings, Lijabatho lead the table with 45 points, followed closely by Lifofane with the same tally, while Bantu occupy third place with 44 points.
Linare’s head coach Jabulani “S-Curl” Mendu admitted after the match that his side’s game plan nearly backfired after conceding early.
“Our intention was to attack aggressively from the start,” Mendu said. “But we lost concentration and they scored early before we regrouped.”
He explained that his team had carefully studied Bantu’s attacking threats before the match.
“We did our homework on Bantu and knew they have strong goal scorers, so we tried to limit their opportunities and create a strategy to stop them,” he said.
Mendu added that Linare deliberately targeted Bantu’s defensive structure in an effort to disrupt their organisation.
“The second round of the season is crucial. Teams must work harder and collect points if they want to stay competitive,” he said.
Bantu’s assistant coach Bokang Mothoana said his side started strongly but failed to convert their chances.
“We played well early in the game and managed to score first. But we created several opportunities and failed to convert them,” Mothoana said.
He noted that Linare’s attacks down the wings created difficulties for his team.
“We noticed their attacks from the wings, which is why we made changes to strengthen our defensive line,” he explained.
Mothoana also admitted that defensive lapses remain a concern for the team.
“We have realised that we concede from corner kicks and mistakes near our penalty area,” he said. “We are correcting those errors and taking each match step by step.”
Despite the defeat, Mothoana insisted Bantu remain firmly in the title race.
“To win the league you need consistent victories, so we must continue preparing well and winning matches,” he said.
Meanwhile, defending champions Lioli dropped two crucial points after being held to a goalless draw by LMPS at PTC Ground on Wednesday.
The match lacked intensity from the start, with both sides struggling to find rhythm.
LMPS maintained a disciplined defensive structure, closing spaces effectively and frustrating the two-time reigning champions.
Lioli were forced into a slow and patient build-up but rarely threatened in the final third during a quiet first half.
The second half followed a similar pattern. Despite introducing fresh legs, Lioli head coach Halemakale Mahlaha failed to find the spark needed to break the deadlock.
Lioli were also without suspended players Tšoanelo Koetle and Retšelisitsoe Moepi, while Jerry Kamele, Khothalang Mokete and Mokoteli Mohapi were included in the starting line-up.
After the match, Mahlaha blamed poor decision-making in the final third for the disappointing result.
“It was not good and the results are not good for us,” Mahlaha said. “We prepared how we were going to attack them and how they were going to play, but our decision-making in the final third was not good.”
Midfielder Thabang Klaas returned to action for the first time in a month after recovering from a head injury, but his presence was not enough to inspire a breakthrough.
Mahlaha admitted his substitutions also failed to influence the match.
“The substitutes did not change anything for us. We wanted TholangMakuru to give us crosses and Klaas to provide through balls, but we were not able to do that,” he explained.
“I think we had three chances, but the decisions were wrong. Instead of challenging defenders or passing into the box, we made the wrong choices.”
Lioli will now look to bounce back when they face Lesotho Correctional Service (LCS) this weekend.
Recent results
Weekend fixtures
Linare FC 2–1 Bantu FC
Majantja FC 2–1 Lijabatho FC
Lioli FC 3–2 Lifofane FC
Matlama FC 1–0 Liphakoe FC
Members FC 2–1 LU FC
Machokha FC 1–1 Maroala FC
LDF FC 3–2 Manonyane FC
LCS FC 1–0 LMPS FC
Weekday catch-up matches
Machokha 0–0 Members
Liphakoe 0–1 Maroala
LMPS 0–0 Lioli
LCS 0–0 Matlama
Majantja 0–1 Bantu
Manonyane 1–4 Lijabatho
Lifofane 0–1 LDF
Upcoming fixtures
Saturday
Members vs Majantja – LCS Ground (13:00)
Bantu vs LU FC – LCS Ground (15:30) Live on FIFA+
Lioli vs LCS – Ratjomose (15:00) Live on FIFA+
Maroala vs Manonyane – PTC Ground (15:00)
Sunday
LDF vs Liphakoe – Ratjomose (13:00) Live on FIFA+
Matlama vs Lifofane – Ratjomose (15:30) Live on FIFA+
Linare vs LMPS – LCS Ground (13:00)
Lijabatho vs Machokha – LCS Ground (15:30)
Summary
- Prior to the midweek fixtures, Linare produced a spirited comeback to defeat Bantu 2–1 at Setsoto Stadium last Saturday, keeping their momentum alive in the second round of the 2025/2026 Vodacom Premier League season as the title race intensifies.
- With both teams pushing for the lead, Linare eventually found the decisive breakthrough in the 39th minute of the first half when Norman Kumatse struck the winning goal.
- “We did our homework on Bantu and knew they have strong goal scorers, so we tried to limit their opportunities and create a strategy to stop them,” he said.
Seabata Mahao is a general news reporter with special focus on Business and Sports. Started working at Newsday in 2021. Working in a team with a shared goal is what I enjoy most and that gives me the motivation to work under any environment leading to growth.
