Lesotho national team coach Moses Maliehe is happy with his charges after beating Madagascar on Friday evening to clinch bronze medal in the COSAFA Cup.
Masoabi Nkoto scored the solitary goal of the game early in the match to hand the Crocodiles 1-0 victory over the Islanders.
Maliehe feels there are a lot of positives to take forward for his team as they prepare for their next assignment which is the 2019 Africa Cup of Nation’s qualifiers.
The Mountain Kingdom country is in Group L alongside Cape Verde, Uganda and Tanzania.
They have a point after a 1-1 draw away to Tanzania and in their first match and host Cape Verde in their next match in September.
“I think we gave it a brave fight though our goal was to reach the final,” Maliehe said.
“We did not concede even a single goal in the three matches that we played from the quarterfinals and were unlucky to lose to Zimbabwe on penalties in the semi-finals.
“We have shown a lot of growth as a team and I’m very happy as the coach of the team.
“The fact that we also won Man of Match awards in all the games that we played at the tournament is also an indication that we are on the right track.”
Maliehe said the regional competition has given his young players the platform to grow having included a number of young stars in his squad.
Among them is 20-year old defender, Lesia Thetsane, who is on a football scholarship in the United State of America and was thrown in the deep end against Swaziland.
The defender went all to play all Lesotho three games at the tournament having been a late addition to the Crocodiles squad for the tournament.
Added: “He is definitely a player for the future; this was his first experience with the senior team and showed a lot of maturity in the games that he played.
“We will take all the positives to our continental qualifiers with the big match coming up against Cape Verde in September.
“Overall, I’m very happy with the team and to have beaten Madagascar in our last match to clinch bronze medal.
“It has been a very successful tournament for the team and I’m proud that we go back not having conceded a goal in all the three games we played.”
By Mikia Kalati
