Lesotho Football Association Lesotho and Kenya played out a 1-1 draw in an international friendly match played at Lucas Moripe Stadium Pretoria, South Africa on Thursday Afternoon.
Kenya was quick off the mark, striking in the 12th minute through Gor Mahia defender Frank Odhiambo to give Harambee Stars a 1-0 lead.
Benni McCarthy’s side bossed possession after that and looked to double their advantage, but Lesotho’s defense held firm.
Likuena coach Bob Mafoso made a tactical switch before halftime, replacing debutant Morena Moloi with experienced Ts’epo Toloane, but Kenya still took a 1-0 lead into the break.
Moloi and Leluma Mofoka were making their debuts for Likuena with the young goalkeeper handed his first start ahead of captain Sekhoane Moerane..
Lesotho came out stronger in the second half and pushed for an equalizer. It arrived in the 69th minute when Thabo Makhele headed home into an empty net after Kenya failed to clear their lines from a Rethabile Mokokoane free kick.
Motebang Sera almost put Likuena ahead for the first time in the 78th minute, outpacing two Kenya defenders, but goalkeeper Kramer Caleb made the save.
Both teams created late chances, with Lesotho debutant goalkeeper Leluma Mofoka pulling off several great saves on his first outing. The two countries will face off again at the same venue on Sunday.
The match forms part of both teams’ preparations for the CAF TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations PAMOJA 2027 Group Stage Qualifiers, which kick off in September.
Mafoso was happy with the test his team got against a physical Kenya side and impressed with how they fought from a goal down to salvage a draw.
“I think Kenya tested us a lot, every duel, I think they came on top and one vs one but that’s when we started playing together and became compact,” Mafoso said.
“When we watched their matches, we wanted to make sure that their wingers don’t play but they created a new problem with two number 10s playing in the half spaces loading our fullbacks, and the decision making of our players sometimes which was expected with new players in the team.
“You could say, we could have done better, but this is a test we wanted, and we are happy we played this game.”
McCarthy sang praises of Likuena and said he admired the mentality displayed while trailing his team.
“I’m very impressed. The mentality that these players have, they work extremely hard for each other and they are very honest,” McCarthy said.
“That’s always nice as a coach if you manage a bunch of players who are honest, work hard, complement each other and their heads don’t drop when they gone 1-0 down.
“It’s a very good quality to have and I have been really impressed, and I remember watching them your match against Nigeria and I couldn’t believe how unfortunate they were to lose by a penalty against the Super Eagles.
“Very recommendable and today I saw a lot of that qualities I saw during the World Cup qualifiers,” the South African legend said.
