The senior national football team, Likuena, endured a difficult start to their Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign after a 2-0 defeat to Morocco at Toyota Stadium in South Africa, on Tuesday.
The result followed a 2-1 loss to Niger four days earlier, leaving Likuena pointless after two matches and already under pressure in the group.
Against Morocco, Likuena spent long spells defending but kept their shape and moved well without the ball. Their resistance was finally broken in the 44th minute, just before the interval. Lesotho kept pushing in the second half but could not find a way back into the contest.
Head coach Bob Mafoso praised his players’ attitude and tactical discipline, while acknowledging the gulf in quality between the two sides.
“I am happy with the attitude of our players. We stayed in our tactical approach for longer periods of the first half and those of the second half,” Mafoso said.
“But, like I said, our quality made the difference. We had those moments and they buried them.”
Mafoso said Likuena must improve their tactical endurance against opponents of Morocco’s calibre, arguing that keeping the game level for longer could give them a better chance of competing.
“With our tactical endurance, it needs to go further. Let us concede maybe in the 65th minute if we are playing against such quality. If things don’t go well, let us just prolong the time,” he said.
He was nevertheless encouraged by the competitiveness of his side.
“We are not happy with the result, but now we competed with this monster. Everyone feared them. Nobody was afraid of them. But I think we gave them a challenge,” Mafoso said.
He explained that Lesotho deliberately used numerical superiority around the ball to limit Morocco’s one-on-one opportunities, particularly against their wingers.
“We just had to make sure that it’s not one versus one. Let us avoid situations where their winger is one with ours,” he said.
“It was qualitative superiority, and then we dealt with it with a numerical one.”
Reflecting on the opening defeat to Niger, Mafoso said Likuena created opportunities but were punished for lapses in concentration.
“We created enough chances to have scored before they had a chance. We missed, and then when we took control of the game in terms of taking the grip, we lost possession. Unfortunately, on the counter, we conceded,” he said.
Lesotho then conceded from a free-kick, a situation they had anticipated before the match.
“We knew that if they felt it was difficult for them to get behind the line, then they would resort to set pieces because of their height, which is what they did.”
Mafoso said second-half tactical changes helped Likuena gain greater control of midfield and create chances, while Niger spent much of the half defending in a low block.
“They didn’t create anything. First shot on target, second half, 26th minute. It shows you how I think we did well in the second half. We just couldn’t score,” he said.
“I am proud of how we expressed ourselves.”
The coach said the two defeats had at least offered lessons for a team facing high-level opposition.
“I am proud of the attitude of my boys, competitiveness, and the attitude towards both phases positive attitude towards attacking, positive attitude towards defending,” Mafoso said.
Morocco coach Mohamed Ouahbi acknowledged that his side had expected long periods of difficulty against Lesotho.
“We knew that there would be longer periods of suffering because of the quality that we were playing against. We always knew that we had to defend well and then try to threaten them with some tactics, which is what I felt we did,” Ouahbi said.
He credited Morocco’s quality for making the difference, particularly during transition moments.
“The goals came from pure quality. We are happy with certain moments, honestly, with the two matches,” he said.
Ouahbi also praised his players for maintaining their physical intensity after their previous match, saying they had competed for 90 minutes against a determined Lesotho side.
Looking ahead, he said Morocco would keep working on defending without possession and improving their response during negative transitions.
“Defend well for longer periods, defend when we will not have possession. This is key for us,” Ouahbi said.
The back-to-back defeats to open the campaign are an early setback for Likuena, and a start on the back foot does not bode well for the remaining group fixtures unless the team arrests the rot soon. With no points on the board, every match ahead takes on added weight, and the margin for error is already slim.
Mafoso believes the competitiveness and attitude shown against two strong opponents offer a foundation to build on. But attitude alone will not earn points, and Likuena will need to turn spirited performances into results, starting with finishing their chances and staying switched on at the back, if their qualifying hopes are to stay alive.
Summary
- The senior national football team, Likuena, endured a difficult start to their Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign after a 2-0 defeat to Morocco at Toyota Stadium in South Africa, on Tuesday.
- We stayed in our tactical approach for longer periods of the first half and those of the second half,” Mafoso said.
- We missed, and then when we took control of the game in terms of taking the grip, we lost possession.
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.
