Pascalinah Kabi
MASERU — Bantu were last night crowned the new Independence Cup winners after an impressive 3-1 win over the Lesotho Correctional Service (LCS) at Setsoto Stadium.
The win ended A Matšo Matebele’s 17-year cup drought.
Coincidentally, this is the same Cup that Bantu last won in 1993.
For their splendid performance Bantu went home M40 000 richer.
It was a well deserved glory given that Bantu fought hard to maintain their lead in a match that LCS dominated.
Despite LCS’ dominance, it was clear that Bantu came into the match with only one thing in mind from the start of the game — winning the Cup.
“Our purpose since qualifying for the finals was to win this match and our boys did just that for us,” Bantu technical director, Ndebele Taole, said after the match.
Bantu took the lead in the third minute through a clinically finished penalty from Maile Thabiso.
This was after LCS’ Katleho Lethabela had fouled Mokone Marabe in the box in the second minute.
From then on Bantu never looked back and they fought until the final whistle.
“Our hard work paid at the end of the day and we emerged the winners of this year’s Independence Cup,” Taole said.
Bantu went for the break leading by two goals.
“LCS is a strong team but we made sure we capitalised on their weaknesses,” Taole said.
Their second goal came in the 42nd minute after LCS’s goalkeeper Sam Ketsekile fumbled the cross a seemingly harmless cross.
Mokone Marabe was quick to react and sloted the ball in to the net.
Bantu’s decision to use one striker also worked to their advantage as they closed down on LCS in the middle of the park.
Five minutes into the second half LCS finally broke Bantu’s defense when Moitheri Ntobo nodded home a corner.
LCS goal seemed to have pressed A Matšo Matebele’s panic button as they kept on making endless mistakes.
They fumbled each time they laid their feet on the ball and their passes were easily intercepted.
Despite all this, A Matšo Matebele still managed to persevere and they rewarded with their third goal in the 88th minute through Marabe.
“We were finished after the red card because I had to pull out the defender to add numbers in the middle field,” LCS mentor Mosholi Mosoeu said.
He said conceding the goal in the early minutes of the game did not work to their advantage.
Independence Cup results:
Winners — Bantu
Runners-up — LCS
Third placed — LDF
Fourth Placed — Linare
Awards:
Goalkeeper of the tournament — Sam Ketsekile (LCS)
Player of the tournament — Ralekoti Mokhahlane (LCS)
Top goal scorers — Mokone Marabe (Bantu) and Mafoafoa Lephoto (LDF)