COSAFA Cup: Substitutions helped Lesotho beat Malawi Flames – Notsi

Photo Credit: COSAFA media.

Lesotho coach Lesley Notsi has explained the turning point in his team’s 1-0 win over Malawi in a Group B match of the COSAFA Cup in South Africa on Thursday, June 5.

The seasoned mentor said tactical changes in the second half helped his team get the winning goal at Toyota Stadium in Bloemfontein.

“The game was quite tough. It was a tough encounter; a game that we were expecting the Malawi national team would push us and try to create a lot of goal-scoring opportunities, and put in a very physical game, and it came out like that,” he explained.

“We were able to absorb, and we were able to create in the first half. Going into the second half, we made some changes to bring in some creativity within the attacking phases. Also, later in the game, we brought in three more players, trying to change how we were playing, targeting the top striker, and it gave us more options in terms of scoring, and we ended up getting a goal out of that change that we made.”

Lesotho are among the teams that have never won the competition, which runs this year from 4 to 15 June. The closest Likuena have come is reaching the final.

Notsi’s men will continue their push for that missing piece of silverware on June 8 when they entertain defending champions Angola.

Lesotho lead the group after the Palancas Negras started their title defence with a 1-1 draw against Namibia, whose next assignment is against the Flames on June 8. Only the group winner will proceed to the last-four stage.

The action continues on Friday when Zambia take on Comoros at 3pm (Southern Africa time) followed by Mozambique’s date with Mauritius.