Notsi: It’s a chance to re-write the history books
Lesotho coach Leslie Notsi says Friday semi-final showdown with Malawi at the Hollywoodbets COSAFA Cup scheduled for King Zwelithini Stadium gives his side a chance to re-write the history books.
Likuena, as the Lesotho team is affectionately known, will bid to reach the final of the regional tournament for the first time since they lost to Zimbabwe in 2000, which was then played as two-legged affair at home and away.
Notsi has already bagged a milestone in this competition becoming the second Lesotho coach to reach the semi-finals twice alongside Moses Maliehe, who led Likuena to the semi-final in 2017 and 2018 editions of the tournament respectively.
He led Likuena to the semi-finals for the first time during the tournament held in Zambia in 2013, having won a group that consisted of Botswana, Eswatini and Kenya, who were invited as the guest nation.
Lesotho wade into Friday’s match enjoying the upper hand over Malawi in recent encounters between the two countries with two victories and two draws.
“This a chance for our boys to re-write the history books by winning the semi-final against Malawi and qualify for the final,” Notsi explained.
“It’s an opportunity for them to show that they have what it takes to play against some of the best teams in the region.”
The Likuena coach admitted that Malawi are a good side, who qualified for the semi-finals at the back of a good run in the semi-finals.
“We will be playing against one of the best teams in our region and in this tournament. They have done very well, and this are the kind of games that we believe will make us a better team,” the Lesotho coach explained.
“We have done our level best to see to it that we manage the fatigue levels by playing a different team in our last group game against Angola.
“We will approach the match with a lot of humility and respect but at the same time, we say, let’s take the game to them. It will be very good for to be in the final because the last time Lesotho played in the final was in the year 2000.”
