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| Celebration time... Bantu are the 2016/17 champions of Lesotho |
Bantu are the 2016/17 Vodacom Premier
League champions after they used a first half blitz to thump Kick4Life 3-0 at
the Maputsoe DiFA Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The win was enough to secure A Matšo Matebele the title ahead of
Lioli. The Mafeteng giants finished with 62 points to Tse Nala’s 60.
Bantu had gone into their season finale knowing
they needed a win to seal the championship but unsure of the challenge they
would face from Kick4Life. Kick4Life had already secured a top four place and
had only won once in six games heading into today’s game. However, Leslie Notši’s
charges had also inflicted one of the two defeats Bantu suffered this season.
Nonetheless, A Matšo Matebele, backed by massive travelling support in Maputsoe,
were inspired.
James Madidilane’s side were aggressive from
the first whistle and immediately overwhelmed Kick4Life. And, the yellow and
black clad throng of Bantu fans didn’t have to wait long to celebrate a goal.
In the ninth minute in-form striker
Lazola Tjokotjokwana put Bantu ahead with a fine header to send the crowd into
rapture and ease nerves.
Bantu didn’t ease their relentless
pressure, however. And, they were rewarded when another of the side’s stars this
season, Litšepe Marabe, made it 2-0 in the 34th minute.
Six minutes later it was 3-0 as player of
the season contender Hlompho Kalake scored his 11th league goal of the season, making
him the league’s highest scoring midfielder this term.
With the score 3-0 at halftime, Bantu
were able to consolidate and coast their way through the second half. The final
whistle was met by scenes of wild celebration as A Matšo Matebele clinched the title in the year of their 90th
birthday celebrations.
Bantu’s success against Kick4Life made
Lioli’s 2-0 win over Sky Battalion at Setsoto Stadium purely academic. Tse Nala were forced to relinquish the
league crown after holding it for two years.
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| Bantu fans turned out in their numbers... |
There was also drama at the bottom of the
league in the relegation battle involving Rovers and Likhopo.
Likhopo beat Liphakoe 2-0 in Quthing while
Rovers drew 1-1 with Linare in Roma. The results meant the Red Army leapfrogged above Rovers into 12th place. Both sides finished
with 17 points but Likhopo survived the axe thanks to a superior goal
difference.
It was heartbreak for Rovers who were
relegated from the Vodacom Premier League on the final day.
Elsewhere, LCS clinched third place
thanks to their 2-0 win over Sundawana and Kick4Life’s loss to Bantu. It is the
ninth time in ten years Masheshena
have made the top four.
Lastly, the battle for the top eight was
also settled. LMPS made hard work of it, but they eventually beat relegated
Butha-Buthe Warriors 2-1 to clinch the final remaining place in the top eight.
Semonye return to the Vodacom Premier League’s
top eight after finishing ninth last season.
The main story, however, was in Maputsoe
where Bantu took the town over and painted it black and yellow. Now they are
new kings of Lesotho. A Matšo Matebele
have won the second championship in club history in the year of their 90th
birthday festivities.
Vodacom Premier
League Final Day Results:
LMPS
2-1 Butha-Buthe Warriors
Bantu
3-0 Kick4Life
LCS
2-0 Sundawana
LDF
0-0 Matlama
Liphakoe
0-2 Likhopo
Lioli
2-0 Sky Battalion
Rovers
1-1 Linare
Final 2016/17 Vodacom Premier League Standings:
P
|
W
|
D
|
L
|
GF
|
GA
|
GD
|
Pts.
|
||
C
|
Bantu
|
26
|
19
|
5
|
2
|
50
|
13
|
+37
|
62
|
2
|
Lioli
|
26
|
19
|
3
|
4
|
49
|
11
|
+38
|
60
|
3
|
LCS
|
26
|
15
|
8
|
5
|
38
|
21
|
+17
|
47
|
4
|
Kick4Life
|
26
|
13
|
6
|
7
|
42
|
28
|
+14
|
45
|
5
|
Sky Battalion
|
26
|
12
|
5
|
9
|
33
|
27
|
+6
|
41
|
6
|
LDF
|
26
|
10
|
9
|
7
|
28
|
21
|
+7
|
36
|
7
|
LMPS
|
26
|
8
|
12
|
6
|
23
|
20
|
+3
|
36
|
8
|
Matlama
|
26
|
9
|
11
|
6
|
37
|
25
|
+12
|
35
|
9
|
Sundawana
|
26
|
7
|
10
|
9
|
25
|
29
|
-4
|
31
|
10
|
Liphakoe
|
26
|
7
|
7
|
12
|
22
|
33
|
-11
|
28
|
11
|
Linare
|
26
|
6
|
9
|
11
|
35
|
38
|
-3
|
27
|
12
|
Likhopo
|
26
|
3
|
8
|
15
|
20
|
38
|
-18
|
17
|
R
|
Rovers
|
26
|
3
|
8
|
15
|
22
|
51
|
-29
|
17
|
R
|
Butha-Buthe
Warriors
|
26
|
1
|
3
|
22
|
18
|
88
|
-70
|
6
|
·
Matlama docked 3 points
·
LDF docked 3 points and 3 goals
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