 |
| It was a good weekend for Hlompho Kalake and his Bantu teammates... |
The weekend came
and went with another intriguing round of Econet Premier League action. For
some teams it was a weekend to enjoy. For others, not so much.
It
was a good weekend for…
Bantu
Bantu are
feeling slightly better this Monday than they did last week. Whereas last week
they are moping over a 4-2 loss to Mbabane Swallows in CAF Champions League,
this weekend it was their turn beat someone 4-2 – their favourite opponents
Linare.
In what turned
out to be a pulsating Saturday afternoon encounter, Bantu were made to sweat
after Tse Tala cut their initial 3-0
lead to 3-2 before halftime at Setsoto Stadium. But, despite some nervy moments
in the second half, A Matšo Matebele
found the poise and the goal seal a vital three points. Bantu are now unbeaten
in their last 10 league games against Linare, winning eight, scoring 21 goals
and conceding just six times.
However, on the
worrying side as they head into Wednesday’s Champions League return leg in
Swaziland, was the Mafeteng side’s defence.
Once again A Matšo Matebele were shaky at the back
with goalkeeper Thabo Selisa called into action more often than coach James Madidilane
would have liked.
Nonetheless,
three points and a seven-point lead at the top of the Econet Premier League (with
nine games to go) is nothing to complain about.
Bantu’s upcoming schedule
|
|||
Date
|
Opponents
|
Competition
|
Venue
|
February
21
|
Mbabane
Swallows
|
CAF
Champions League
|
Away
|
February
24
|
Sky
Battalion
|
LNIG
Top 8
|
First
leg
|
March
11
|
Sky
Battalion
|
LNIG
Top 8
|
Second
leg
|
March
17
|
Sky
Battalion
|
League
|
Away
|
March
25
|
LDF
|
League
|
Away
|
 |
| LCS claimed a hard-fought 1-0 win over Kick4Life. Good weekend... |
LCS
LCS versus Kick4Life
was probably the biggest match of the weekend. It was a match between two evenly-matched
teams with hopes of making it into the top four again this season, a match
between two sides that are established in Lesotho’s top tier alongside Bantu,
Lioli, Matlama and LDF.
Whenever this group
of teams meet it is usually a close affair decided by the odd goal, so, for LCS
to get the better of Kick4Life should make them feel good about themselves.
More importantly,
Sunday’s 1-0 win at the LCS Stadium has lifted Masheshena to sixth place, only four points behind fourth-placed
LDF.
Lioli
Lioli finally
got their first win under new coach Morena Ramorebodi at the fourth time of
asking with a 1-0 victory over Majantja on Sunday.
It wasn’t easy. Tse Nala had to rely on a rare goal by
defender Kopano Tseka to steal the three points away from Mohale’s Hoek.
But while the
performance won’t have pleased the Lioli masses, the three points certainly
will as the Teyateyaneng giants kept their title hopes alive. Tse Nala are seven points behind Bantu
with seven games to go. The two teams still have to meet again before the
season is decided. The win over Majantja was also important when looking at
Lioli’s upcoming run of games. It is a difficult schedule, and Tse Nala need all the momentum they can
get.
Lioli’s upcoming schedule
|
|||
Date
|
Opponents
|
Competition
|
Venue
|
February
24
|
LMPS
|
LNIG
Top 8
|
First
leg
|
March
3
|
Matlama
|
League
|
Home
|
March
11
|
LMPS
|
LNIG
Top 8
|
Second
leg
|
March
18
|
Liphakoe
|
League
|
Away
|
March
24
|
Linare
|
League
|
Home
|
It
was a bad weekend for…
Matlama
 |
| It wasn't a good weekend for Matlama... |
Just when
Matlama were looking like potential dark-horses for a potential title run, all
hopes came crashing down with a shock 1-0 loss to Likhopo on Sunday at
Ratjomose. Mosito Matela has done a wonderful job since taking over as coach at
the end of October, but Matlama still have some growing up to do as a team in
order to be genuine championship challengers and it showed on Sunday as they
were outfoxed by a Likhopo side that hadn’t won since November and had lost
three of its previous four matches.
Likhopo are
always a team that gives Matlama a tough time. There is history between the clubs
and their encounters always mean something. Even so, Sunday’s loss was the
first time Matlama have lost to Likhopo in the league since April 2012, a run
of 11 matches.
It is a
disappointing blow but the consolation for Matlama (in third place with 29
points) is they are still well-placed to claim a top four place. Their next two
league games are difficult, however. They face Lioli followed by a date against
LCS.
Matlama v Likhopo head-to-head
|
|||
18-02-2018
|
Matlama
|
0-1
|
Likhopo
|
23-09-2017
|
Likhopo
|
0-0
|
Matlama
|
11-03-2017
|
Matlama
|
1-1
|
Likhopo
|
15-10-2016
|
Likhopo
|
0-1
|
Matlama
|
27-02-2016
|
Likhopo
|
1-1
|
Matlama
|
14-11-2015
|
Matlama
|
2-1
|
Likhopo
|
07-02-2015
|
Matlama
|
1-1
|
Likhopo
|
14-09-2014
|
Likhopo
|
0-0
|
Matlama
|
09-02-2014
|
Matlama
|
3-1
|
Likhopo
|
22-12-2013
|
Likhopo
|
1-2
|
Matlama
|
15-06-2013
|
Matlama
|
1-1
|
Likhopo
|
29-09-2012
|
Likhopo
|
0-1
|
Matlama
|
07-04-2012
|
Matlama
|
0-2
|
Likhopo
|
Kick4Life
Kick4Life’s 1-0 loss
away to LCS wasn’t poor but, in the greater scheme of things, it is now four
points dropped from the last six available after last weekend’s 1-1 draw with
Lioli. The slight blip, even though it has come against tough opponents, robbed
the Old Europa side of a move into the top four for the first time this season.
It is also a
speed bump for Leslie Notši’s side as they head into the weekend’s LNIG Top 8
quarterfinal first leg tie against Matlama.
 |
| Speed bump for Kick4Life... |
Sky
Battalion
Every week seems
to be a bad one for Sky Battalion. Last season we thought Butha-Buthe Warriors were
the worst team in the history of Lesotho top-flight. Warriors won just once in
26 games, lost 22 times, scored just 18 goals and conceded 88 to finish with a
total of six points. That was very bad. But Sky Battalion might actually become
the first team ever to finish the season with a negative points tally.
Sky Battalion
are on minus -4 points right now after being docked six points for late
registration at the start of the campaign. They haven’t won all season and have
lost 14 of their 16 games.
Records are meant
to broken, but this is one record Sky Battalion can’t be proud of.
Weekend Econet
Premier League Results:
Saturday
Liphakoe 1-0 Sky
Battalion
Sefotha-fotha 1-1 LDF
Bantu 4-2 Linare
Sunday
Matlama 0-1 Likhopo
LCS 1-0 Kick4Life
Majantja 0-1 Lioli
Econet Premier
League Standings
P
|
W
|
D
|
L
|
GF
|
GA
|
GD
|
Pts.
|
||
1
|
Bantu
|
15
|
11
|
3
|
1
|
30
|
9
|
+21
|
36
|
2
|
Lioli
|
15
|
8
|
5
|
2
|
22
|
11
|
+11
|
29
|
3
|
Matlama
|
16
|
8
|
5
|
3
|
17
|
10
|
+7
|
29
|
4
|
LDF
|
16
|
6
|
7
|
3
|
19
|
14
|
+5
|
25
|
5
|
Kick4Life
|
16
|
6
|
6
|
4
|
17
|
13
|
+4
|
24
|
6
|
LCS
|
15
|
5
|
6
|
4
|
12
|
9
|
+3
|
21
|
7
|
Majantja
|
16
|
5
|
5
|
6
|
14
|
16
|
-2
|
20
|
8
|
LMPS
|
14
|
5
|
4
|
5
|
15
|
15
|
+0
|
19
|
9
|
Liphakoe
|
16
|
6
|
1
|
9
|
15
|
22
|
-7
|
19
|
10
|
Linare
|
16
|
6
|
3
|
7
|
17
|
22
|
-5
|
18
|
11
|
Sefotha-fotha
|
15
|
3
|
7
|
5
|
10
|
16
|
-6
|
16
|
12
|
Likhopo
|
16
|
3
|
4
|
9
|
11
|
22
|
-11
|
13
|
13
|
Sky Battalion
|
16
|
0
|
2
|
14
|
4
|
24
|
-20
|
-4
|
·
Linare
docked 3 points for late registration
·
Sky
Battalion docked 6 points for late registration
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