Home Sport Likuena vow to fight despite injury crisis

Likuena vow to fight despite injury crisis

by Lesotho Times
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LDF striker Mojela Letsie controls the ball as Bantu defender Mohapi Ntobo closes in during a Vodacom Premier League match in Mafeteng yesterday

Mikia Kalati

LIKUENA coach Moses Maliehe’s attempts to improve his strikeforce by calling up last season’s Vodacom Premier League top goal scorer Mojele Letsie did not materialise as his club declared the hitman injured and not available to play.

Maliehe had called up the LDF hitman in a bid to overturn the 0-2 deficit the national side suffered at the hands of the Comoros in the African Nations Championship (CHAN).

Likuena will need to score at least three goals without reply in Sunday’s return leg at Setsoto Stadium to proceed to the next round at the Comoros’ expense.

Maliehe also called up Sandawana forward Roboama Koloti to reinforce the strike force after Thapelo Tale and Motebang Sera were forced out of the first leg due to injuries.

However, the Sandawana striker had not yet showed up for Likuena training by yesterday.

Likuena were also forced to play without defender Thapelo Mokhehle and midfielder Kefuoe Mahula who had a twisted ankle and flu respectively.

Lesotho Football Association second vice president and Likuena team manager, Rantsubise Matete confirmed that they had called the two strikers to beef-up their squad, but the LDF hitman was declared unavailable by his club as he was nursing an injury.

Matete said they had expected Koloti to join the team on Wednesday, but he was nowhere to be seen when this publication visited the national team training session yesterday afternoon.

Tale was also back training with the rest of his teammates while the team’s medical team continues to assess Sera’s injury.

“You can understand how difficult it was for the coach to lose four senior players in that match,” Matete said.

“We were also short in the striking department after the injuries of our two strikers and this is why the team has identified Letsie and Koloti to beef the squad irrespective of whether they will start the game or not.”

“Unfortunately we told that Letsie is injured by his club and will not be part of the team while Koloti was expected to start training with the team by Wednesday in the afternoon training session.

He said they had a team talk during which the players promised to fight to overturn the result and qualify for the next round.

Matete also bemoaned their poor treatment in Comoros, saying some officials ordered Likuena players off the training ground allegedly because their soccer boots would destroy the artificial pitch.

He said meals got finished at their hotel before all the players had been served.

He however, said they put this behind them and they were focused on winning the game fairly.

“We would have offered the same menu they gave to us but we want to win the game fairly on the field of play.

“Yes, the poor treatment we received in Comoros might have affected the players mentally but I cannot say for a fact that the ill-treatment played a part in us losing the match.

“I know that despite all that happened, the players were determined to win the game,” he said.

However, the veteran administrator admitted that Likuena standards dropped badly against a team that was weaker than their recent opponents at the regional COSAFA Cup in South Africa.

“Our performance was below par and maybe it had to do with injuries to senior players.

“Comoros is not even at the level of the teams we came up against at the recent COSAFA Cup, namely, Zimbabwe and Tanzania.

“We remain hopeful that we can bounce back and win the tie because the players have made a vow to work harder.”

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