Teboho Molapo
MASERU — Lesotho’s women’s Under-20 national side are confident they can overturn a two-goal deficit when they take on Kenya in the second leg of their 2012 Fifa Under-20 World Cup tie this afternoon.
The young ladies face an uphill task to make it through to the next round after a morale sapping loss away to Kenya three weeks ago.
That result means Lesotho have to score at least thrice and conceed no goal in today’s return at Setsoto Stadium to have any chance of keeping their hopes alive.
The qualifiers are to determine the 16 countries that will take part in the women’s youth World Cup in Uzbekistan next year.
Lesotho coach, Likhetho Mokhathi, told the Sunday Express that she was upbeat about Lesotho’s chances.
She said Lesotho would have to keep an eye on Sharon Bushenei and Wendy Ochieng who got Kenya’s goals in the first leg.
“We are going to fight for our lives. It is a team sport and anything can happen, but mentally and physically we know the girls are ready,” Mokhathi said.
“Like I said after the first leg, Kenya is not a team that can beat us, what hampered the team was the pitch and the absence of some of our players,” she said.
Mokhathi said she was happy with the side’s preparations for the return leg which included a 1-1 draw against the Free State Province Under-20 at the Seisa Ramabodu Stadium last week.
“The Form C and Form 5 girls (who missed the first leg) are now here and we worked on our combinations in the 1-1 draw against Free State. So far, so good,” she said.
Should Lesotho overturn the first leg score the side will progress to the next stage of the qualifiers which begin in February next year.
Meanwhile, the dates for Likuena’s 2013 African Cup of Nations qualifiers have been announced.
Lesotho will face Sao Tome in the second week of January in a preliminary first round qualifier.
The first leg will be played in Sao Tome on January 8 with the return leg at Setsoto Stadium on January 15.
The preliminary phase of the qualifiers includes the countries which failed to qualify for the tournament in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea which is set for January next year.
Lesotho, Sao Tome, Seychelles and Swaziland are the only four sides that will play in the preliminary first round.
Should Lesotho progress, Likuena will face Sierra Leone in the second preliminary round, one of 14 head-to-head ties to determine who goes to the final round where the 16 teams who made it to the 2012 African Nations Cup event will join the race.
South Africa have qualified automatically as hosts, after taking over from Libya, who will now organise the 2017 competition.
The opening rounds of the campaign will take place in early 2012 and the final round of qualifying will happen in September and October next year.
Preliminary Round One
Sao Tomé vs. Lesotho (January 8)
Lesotho vs. Sao Tomé (January 15)
Seychelles vs. Swaziland
Preliminary Round Two
Ethiopia vs. Benin
Rwanda vs. Nigeria
Congo Brazzaville vs. Uganda
Burundi vs. Zimbabwe
Algeria vs. The Gambia
Kenya vs. Togo
Sao Tome/Lesotho vs. Sierra Leone
Guinea Bissau vs. Cameroon
Chad vs. Malawi
Seychelles/Swaziland vs. DR Congo
Tanzania vs. Mozambique
Central African Republic vs. Egypt
Madagascar vs. Cape Verde
Liberia vs. Namibia