LCS and LDF stay locked at the top…
Lioli survive and Lerotholi relegated, all the talking points from the weekend
LCS and LDF locked at the summit
There is very little to pick LCS and LDF apart as the Vodacom Premier League enters its final week. Both sides picked up crucial wins this weekend, both play a wounded tiger chasing a top four place on Wednesday and then of course Masheshena and Sohle-Sohle face each other in a potential title decider on Sunday.
For LCS their weekend success came in the form of a hard-fought 3-2 win over Joy on Saturday. This time it was Thulo Ranchobe who stepped up amongst Masheshena’s litany of Likuena internationals with two goals at critical stages of the match – moments when LCS’s prospects were looking somewhat uncertain.
Joy, who have been the disrespectful boys of Lesotho football since their promotion to the Premier League five years ago, had twice taken the lead through Makoanyane XI starlet Jeremia Kamele and looked set to pull off a massive shock at the Central Prison.
However Ranchobe had other ideas and scored a fine brace with goals in the 26th and 64th minute before the ever industrious Lieta Shoes Lehloka set up in-form Lawrence Molengoane for the winner in the 70th minute – Molengoane’s shot squirming agonisingly through Joy keeper Liteboho Mokhehle’s hands and into the back of the net.
Funnily enough the possible turning point for LCS was a sending off of one of their players. In the 61st minute Masheshena’s fiery midfielder Ralekoti Mokhahlane was dismissed along with Kamele after the pair clashed. Perhaps crucially, Mokhahlane will now be absent for LCS’s mega clash with outgoing champions and top four hopefuls Matlama at the Setsoto Stadium on Wednesday afternoon.
LDF responded in the best way possible to Masheshena’s victory with a 3-1 win over this season’s surprise package Maduma at Ratjomose yesterday.
This season’s winner of Lesotho’s premiership title is likely to face newly-crowned South African champions Orlando Pirates in the Caf Champions League next year and that was probably the reason for the increased crowd at Ratjomose. And those who turned out were not disappointed as LDF put on an impressive display. Physically the army side showed their superiority throughout and this was matched with a cutting edge and hunger for goals.
In the end it was Sohle-Sohle captain Lengana Nkhethoa, playmaker Bongata Kori and top scorer Mojela Letsie who got the goals for LDF, but it could have easily been more were it not for the excellence of Maduma goalie Thapelo Thupana.
Maduma aren’t a bad side though, their performance this season proves this, the Khukhune outfit just came up against a more determined team, with a juicier carrot dangling in front of them.
LDF next travel to Hlotse to face Linare on Wednesday afternoon.
But whatever happens on Wednesday this season’s Vodacom Premier League title race will go down to Sunday’s last day.
Lioli survive
There was surely a huge sigh of relief at the referees’ final whistle in Teyateyaneng yesterday. Lioli are now secured of their Premier League status after beating LMPS 1-0. How it has got this sticky for Tse Nala one may never fully know, but one reason could be the right mess Lioli made of handling their coaching department. However there are other areas which have disrupted Lioli but may benefit the club in the future. Tse Nala’s much vaunted cull of the chronic ill-discipline at the Teyateyaneng club resulted in the departure of Tse Nala heroes Brown Makobe and Mohapi Ntobo to Bantu and an almost five month absence of star striker Sello ‘Muso.
Lioli’s win yesterday will have been even sweeter because it was in truth largely unexpected. Tse Nala had been soundly beaten 3-1 by relegation threatened Mphatlalatsane on Saturday and of course LMPS are Lioli’s bogey team.
Tse Nala had not beaten Simunye in three years, a run of eleven matches that included crushing defeats in the 2008 Imperial Top 8 final and the 2009 MGC Supa 8 semi-final. And even when Lioli were crowned Nthane Brothers Holdings Independence Cup winners last October, Simunye gave them a right spanking en route.
Thankfully for Lioli’s vast fan-base this run was snapped in timely fashion, and as a result Tse Nala, league champions in 2009 and runners up last season, will still be amongst Lesotho’s elite clubs next season.
Lerotholi Polytechnic relegated
Lerotholi’s relegation from the top-flight was confirmed by a 1-0 loss to Likhopo at the Central Prison yesterday. This season four teams will be relegated in order to achieve the ultimate goal of a 12-team Lesotho Premier League for the upcoming 2011/12 campaign. Lerotholi’s loss means they can’t overhaul Joy’s tally of 29 points. It means Lihale will be playing first division football next season and will be competing in the second tier alongside National University of Lesotho rivals Rovers. How the mighty have fallen…
Weekend Results
Saturday, 21 May
LCS 3-2 Joy, Mphatlalatsane 3-1 Lioli
Sunday, 22 May
LDF 3-1 Maduma, Lioli 1-0 LMPS, Lerotholi 0-1 Likhopo
Vodacom Premier League
P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | ||
1 | LCS | 24 | 14 | 9 | 1 | 41 | 16 | 25 | 51 |
2 | LDF | 24 | 15 | 6 | 3 | 37 | 18 | 19 | 51 |
3 | Bantu | 24 | 13 | 6 | 5 | 33 | 21 | 12 | 45 |
4 | Linare | 24 | 11 | 8 | 5 | 31 | 21 | 10 | 41 |
5 | Matlama | 24 | 9 | 10 | 5 | 23 | 16 | 7 | 37 |
6 | LMPS | 25 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 31 | 26 | 5 | 35 |
7 | Maduma | 25 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 31 | 33 | -2 | 35 |
8 | Likhopo | 24 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 24 | 25 | -1 | 34 |
9 | Lioli | 24 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 23 | 21 | 2 | 30 |
10 | Joy | 24 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 23 | 24 | -1 | 29 |
11 | Mphatlalatsane | 24 | 4 | 11 | 9 | 27 | 33 | -6 | 23 |
12 | Lerotholi | 25 | 6 | 5 | 14 | 17 | 33 | -16 | 23 |
13 | Swallows | 24 | 2 | 7 | 15 | 14 | 36 | -22 | 13 |
14 | Mabeoana | 25 | 1 | 6 | 18 | 11 | 43 | -32 | 9 |
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