Quote of the week

“To be a great champion you must believe you are the best. If you're not, pretend you are.” – Muhammad Ali

Monday, February 19, 2018

Weekend Econet Premier League Review: A good weekend for Bantu, LCS and Lioli

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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