Leemisa Thuseho
THE senior national team, Likuena, got their TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) PAMOJA 2027 qualifying campaign off to a losing start after going down 2-1 to Niger in their opening Group A match in Accra, Ghana, on Friday.
The match was Niger’s home fixture, staged at the Accra Sports Stadium because the West Africans do not have a CAF-approved venue. Morocco and Gabon complete the four-team group.
Niger went into the break 2-0 up through Daniel Sosah’s 38th-minute strike and Oumar Sako’s goal on the stroke of half-time.
Likuena had to wait until the 85th minute to pull one back, when striker Motebang Sera won a penalty and converted it himself. Niger held on for the win.
Likuena coach Bob Mafoso rued his side’s missed first-half opportunities, saying they had created enough chances to take the lead before Niger scored.
“I do not think they created many chances, but for us, we created enough chances to have scored before they had a chance to score,” Mafoso told reporters after the match.
“We missed, and then when we took control of the game in terms of taking the grip, we lost possession and, unfortunately, on the counter, we conceded.
“Maybe our heads went down, which is something we need to work on. We then conceded from a free kick, which is something we felt and had prepared for.”
Despite the defeat, Mafoso said he was pleased with the attitude of his players.
“I am proud of how we expressed ourselves. I am proud of the attitude of my players, their competitiveness and their attitude in both phases – positive attitude towards attacking and positive attitude towards defending,” he said.
“Yes, we will learn from the two mistakes. Otherwise, I am just not happy with the result, but I am happy with how we played in general.”
Captain and goalkeeper Sekhoane Moerane was equally disappointed with the result. He said he had urged his teammates to keep their heads up at half-time.
“In the dressing room, I told my teammates that this game needs attitude and that if we are going to go back with our heads down, we are not going to come back. So, we had to give our all,” Moerane said.
He was encouraged that Likuena had not shown Niger too much respect but admitted that defensive mistakes had proved costly.
“We did not give them too much respect. We just wanted to play more and have more possession, but they were smart enough to capitalise on our mistakes,” he said.
A win, or even a draw, would have given Likuena an early boost. Instead, Mafoso’s charges must quickly put the defeat behind them and regroup for a far tougher assignment against African giants Morocco on Tuesday.
The match, Likuena’s first home fixture of the group stage, will be played at Toyota Stadium in Bloemfontein, South Africa, in the absence of a CAF-approved venue in Lesotho.