LIKUENA'S COACH PRAISES PLAYERS DESPITE 6-0 DRUBBING

Lesotho's senior national side Likuena head coach, Mr. Monaheng Monyane, says his charges played well in their clash against Gambia last Sunday in the African Cup of Nation (ACN) qualifier, despite having lost by the heavy 6-0 margin.

In an interview, Mr. Monyane said there was at one stage when Likuena dominated the play so much that the huge and hostile crowd that watched the game was quiet.
He said Likuena shot six times to the opponent's goals but failed to score while Gambia shot eight times and managed to score six goals, three at each half. "The major contributing factor to our downfall was heavy turf as it fell all night long and we could not have equipment which was good enough to withstand the state of the pitch that was wet and one side of it had long grass," he explained.

Mr. Monyane said he did talk about purchasing of new soccer boots for the players, but he was told by the Lesotho Football Association (LEFA) management that there were no enough funds. He said that on their first day in Gambia 10 players including the goalkeeper Thabo Khoboli complained of itching, eyes, which turned red, and the Team Doctor, Dr. Nyambui could not detect its cause. The Head coach however, believed that they could beat Gambia here at home as conditions would be different.

Mr. Monyane also pointed out that travelling problems they encountered on their way to Gambia might have affected the team morale in one way or the other, as they had to spend a day in Accra, Ghana. "We had two options of taking the route via Europe or this one through Ghana, which we knew from the beginning that it was not reliable,' he commented. He however, noted that while stuck in Ghana due to flights problems, they agreed to play an international friendly against the home side Black Stars where they lost 1-2 'in a good game'. Mr. Monyane stated that he would like to boost his side with the inclusion of Lehlohonolo Seema, Lebajoa Mphongoa and Lire Phiri who missed the match due to assortment of reasons like injuries and suspension.

Meanwhile, LEFA Chief Executive Officer Mr. Boniface Mokalanyane when asked about the soccer boots the coach said were not good enough for the match said the association had purchased a set of new soccer boots ahead of the Likuena/Senegal match after a request by the coach. "I do not know if the soccer boots we bought ahead of Senegal match were just good for one match as we believed that they were still new and could still be suitable for that clash," he explained.

Speaking about camping, Mr. Mokalanyane said the players did train twice a day, saying the only thing they could not do was to sleep together as they (players) were allowed to go back at their homes after evening training sessions. Likuena's chances of qualifying for the Tunisia's 2004 African Cup of Nation (ACN) for the first time are slim following the two consecutive defeats from Senegal and Gambia. The home side is left with two games one away in Dakar, Senegal in June and the last one at home against Gambia in July next year.

16 October,2002