Lesotho Football Association Lesotho’s Under-15 Boys national team got off to a winning start at the inaugural FIFA U15 World Cup & Festival in Baku, Azerbaijan defeating Gabon 3-2 in a five-goal thriller on Saturday.
The boys from the Mountain Kingdom showed incredible heart and character to secure one of the biggest wins in the country’s youth football history.
Pheko Matšoara gave Lesotho the perfect start, opening the scoring a minute into the game to put Lesotho 1-0 up. Gabon, however, responded to level matters at 1-1 through Hans Sito, piling pressure on the Lesotho boys with five minutes to the half-time break.
Matšoara’s goal might go down as one of the fastest goals of the groundbreaking tournament in Baku.
Coach Mahlomola Matšoara turned to his bench, and it proved to be a masterstroke. Super-sub Tšepo Khoase was introduced and changed the game completely.
Khoase restored Lesotho’s lead to make it 2-1, sending the Lesotho bench into celebration. Minutes later, he struck again — a quick-fire brace that put Lesotho in control at 3-1.
The two goals in quick succession showcased Khoase’s predatory instinct and composure in front of goal.
Gabon refused to give up and pulled one back courtesy of Manix Mba to make it 3-2, setting up a tense finale. But Lesotho’s defense held firm, showing great maturity to see out the final minutes and secure the historic victory.
It was a complete team performance, but the headlines will rightly belong to Khoase — the substitute who came on and won the game with two decisive goals.
The win gives Lesotho a massive boost in their World Cup campaign and sends a strong message ahead of their second match of Group I against Bulgaria on Sunday.
