Mikia Kalati
LDF coach, Motheo Mohapi, says his side will not throw in the towel despite the mammoth task that awaits them of attempting a comeback from the 5-nil drubbing they suffered at the hands of LCS in the first leg of the LNIG Top8 a fortnight ago.
Mohapi this week told this publication that they would work hard to turn the tables in the second leg at Maputsoe DIFA Ground on Saturday.
“To succeed in life, you need to do everything in your power to get what you want,” Mohapi said.
“Such an opportunity is still there of us especially if LCS were able to score five goals against us, it means we also have a chance to do the same against them.”
He said football was a game of surprises and he remained adamant they stand a chance to bounce back in the second leg fixture.
Mohapi bemoaned injuries to his key players among them last season top goal scorer, Mojela Letsie, as well as Likano Mphuthi, as the main reason for their big loss to LCS.
“Injuries made life difficult for us as we missed about four players in that game especially our long time first choice goal keeper.
“Letsie is still likely to be out for a long time after being involved in a car accident and the goalkeeper cannot make it as well. But the other two players are back and hopefully they will remain fit.
“At least now we have half of the players that were injured and we are going to give it our best fight to remain in the competition against all difficult circumstances,” he said.
LCS coach, Mpitsa Marai, said the fight was not over as he has seen comebacks especially in cup competitions.
“The fight is not over and we are going there to compete and make sure we reach the semi-final,” Marai said.
“For somebody who has been in football for some time, I have seen teams coming back from such defeats especially in cup competitions where matches are played over two legs. We do not want to find ourselves under pressure and will want to continue where we left off in the first leg.
“We will have to be very cautious especially in the opening minutes of the game because early goals will give them hope. That means we still have a lot of work to do going into Saturday’s match,” he said.
Marai also defended his team for being inconsistent having lost 0-2 away to Majantja in a league match over the weekend.
He blamed the poor state of the pitch in Mohale’s Hoek for their loss and said it favoured the home team who walked away with the three points because they are used to the pitch.
“I do not know how the authorities allowed that ground to host matches when they disqualified others. The conditions there are just not conducive for football at all and it made it very difficult for us to play,” he said.
Meanwhile, Bantu take on struggling Sky Battalion in another semi-final in Maputsoe on Saturday.
On Sunday, defending champions, Lioli, will hope to bounce back from their first 1-nil loss to LMPS.
Tse Nala were 1-4 by Matlama in a league match last week.
Matlama also have a mountain to climb having lost the first leg 0-1 to Kick4Life who are also enjoying a good run after a 5-0 demolition of Sefotha-fotha last weekend.
LNIG Top8 fixtures:
Saturday
LCS v LDF
Bantu v Sky Battalion
Sunday
Kick4Life v Matlama
Lioli v LMPS
