as Likuena prepare to face Zambia in AFCON qualifiers
Leemisa Thuseho
LIKUENA coach, Veselin Jelusiƈ, is concerned about his strikers’ lack of punch as they prepare for a crucial back-to-back clash against Zambia in the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers.
Jelusiƈ said this after the national men’s soccer team on Thursday played to a goalless draw with eSwatini in a friendly at Bambatha Tšita Sport Arena Ground, Maseru.
The game was part of Likuena’s preparations for their upcoming AFCON qualifies encounter against Zambia on 23 March 2023. The match will be played at Levy Mwanawasa Stadium in the Copperbelt province.
The return leg will be at Dobsonville Stadium, South Africa, three days later.
Lesotho is currently playing its official games in South Africa because Setsoto Stadium is still under Confederation of African Football (CAF suspension due to its bad state.
Jelusiƈ said although he was happy with other aspects of the game against eSwatini, he was worried that his strikers were struggling to find the back of the net.
“Despite the draw, I’m satisfied with the commitment of the players, control of the ball and possession. However, I’m not satisfied with our finishing,” Jelusiƈ said.
“We create chances but we fail to convert these into goals. Today we had at least three clear opportunities but could not score. This is worrying.”
Jelusiƈ said they would use the remaining days to work on the team and get it ready for the match against Zambia.
“We have to be realistic, Zambia are the favourites. They have a lot of players in better leagues in Europe. We will do our best against them,” he said.
Likuena are set to jet off to Zambia tomorrow (Mon).
In the AFCON qualifiers race, Likuena are in Group H with Ivory Coast, Comoros, and Zambia.
In their first match of the qualifiers, Likuena lost 2-0 to Comoros away on 3 June 2022.
In their second game, Lesotho held Ivory Coast to a goalless draw at Dobsonville Stadium, South Africa on 9 June 2022.
Lesotho is currently sitting at the bottom of the Group H with one point. Ivory Coast is leading the pack with four points.
Zambia and Comoros are second and third respectively, with three points each. They are separated by the head-to-head rule. Thus, Zambia are on top of Comoros because they beat them 2-1 on 7 June 2022 at National Heroes Stadium in Lusaka.
