Likuena head coach Bob Mafoso praised his team’s incredible fighting spirit after a narrow 2-0 defeat to Morocco.

The tough Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match took place at the Toyota Stadium in Bloemfontein. The star-studded Atlas Lions took all three points after dominating possession. However, they were frustrated for long periods by a highly disciplined Lesotho defence. Both Morocco goals arrived in the closing minutes of each half.

Real Madrid star Brahim Diaz opened the scoring before Azz-Eddine Ounahi added the second.

Despite spending most of the game without the ball, Likuena’s backline stood firm. The defenders blocked shots, closed down half-spaces, and stopped the North African giants from easily penetrating the final third. Mafoso revealed that his squad knew they would have to endure long periods of deep defending.

He credited Morocco’s elite technical standard for breaking the deadlock. “I think it’s their quality, there is only this quality in Africa, it’s only them that could do that,” Mafoso said.

“There were times when I felt we defended well but they could still find the pockets.”

The 2-0 result marks a massive structural improvement from Lesotho’s previous encounter when Likuena suffered a heavy seven-goal defeat. He noted that the squad successfully ran for the full 90 minutes against world-class opposition.

“The level of competitiveness was out of this world. I am happy with the performance, we stayed in our tactical approach for longer periods,” Mafoso said.

“Our tactical endurance needs to go longer. Let us concede maybe in the 65th minute if we are playing against such quality. Otherwise, I am happy with the attitude and how we competed with this monster.”

Tactically, Likuena focused on numerical superiority around the ball to avoid isolating individual defenders in dangerous one-on-one situations. This clever strategy successfully minimized fouls and prevented Morocco from exploiting set-pieces.

Mafoso believes these harsh lessons will make Likuena much stronger for the rest of the qualifying campaign.

He noted that future opponents will give Lesotho more time on the ball, where the team must become far more decisive. Mafoso was highly encouraged by his players’ physical conditioning and tactical endurance.