Mozambique put in a clinical performance as they defeated COSAFA rivals Lesotho 5-0 in a friendly international played on Wednesday.

The Mambas were 3-0 up inside 29 minutes as Melque, Bruno and Estêvão were on the scoresheet, before the latter completed his brace in the second half to go with a goal for Salas.

It is the biggest win for Mozambique since a 5-0 hammering of South Sudan in 2014, and the perfect start for new coach Horacio Goncalves as he looks towards the COSAFA Cup next month.

But for Lesotho there is much soul-searching to be done, as coach Thabo Senong admits.

“It was a very tough game for us, but I want to congratulate Mozambique,” Senong said. “They played a very good game, especially first half, we battled to react tactically and to adapt to their intensity.

“We made a lot of mistakes first half. At half-time we tried to change a few things and came with a better attitude in the second half.”

“But there are positives for us to take in the next game against Eswatini. We are disappointed, but we are not discouraged. These friendly matches give us information in terms of combinations and how to approach competitive games like the COSAFA Cup.”