Leemisa Thuseho
LIJABATHO head coach, Kabelo Malapane, remains hopeful that his side can overturn a two-goal deficit in the return leg of their CAF Champions League first preliminary round clash against Madagascar’s CFFA.
Lijabatho made a disappointing start to their campaign, losing 2-0 to CFFA in the first leg played at the Côte d’Or National Sports Complex in Mauritius over the weekend.
The second leg will be played on Saturday at Dobsonville Stadium in Gauteng, South Africa.
Lijabatho now face an uphill battle to progress to the second preliminary round, as they need to win by at least three goals to advance.
However, Malapane believes his players now have a better understanding of their opponents and will be more alert in the return encounter.
“I think the players have seen our downfall, so we will push harder to overcome them,” Malapane told the Lesotho Times this week.
He said the first-leg encounter was a learning experience for both teams, as neither side knew much about the other before the match.
“The first match was good. Both teams did not know each other. The other thing is that my players looked a little bit nervous, but we did well overall.
“We are hoping for a better performance and more confidence from our players.”
Lijabatho were without key player, Jane Thabantšo, in the first leg because of a stiff muscle injury. Malapane said the forward has not fully recovered, making his availability for Saturday’s match uncertain.
Although the second leg is officially a home fixture for Lijabatho, it will effectively be a home-away-from-home encounter, with the champions forced to play in South Africa.
This is because Lesotho currently does not have a stadium approved to host international matches.
The country’s only international stadium, Setsoto Stadium, was suspended by CAF in 2021 after several shortcomings were identified, including a deteriorating playing surface, inadequate team benches, poor-quality dressing rooms, a malfunctioning drainage system, insufficient sanitation facilities and inadequate floodlighting.
The government has since addressed the issue of the playing surface by installing a new artificial turf. However, the stadium remains suspended as other shortcomings, such as substandard dressing rooms and a faulty water drainage system, have yet to be addressed.
The unavailability of Setsoto Stadium is among the factors denying local teams the opportunity to enjoy home-ground advantage and the backing of their supporters when competing in continental competitions.
After Saturday’s first leg, Lijabatho returned home on Sunday before leaving for South Africa yesterday to begin preparations for the decisive return encounter.
