COSAFA Cup: Notsi says Lesotho lost match but not hope

Photo credit: Lesotho Football Association.

Lesotho’s senior national football team coach Leslie Notsi says his side has not lost hope of qualifying for the COSAFA Cup semi-finals.

Likuena’s bid for a semifinal spot suffered a setback after losing 4-0 to defending champions Angola on Sunday in a Group B game. Despite the setback, Notsi insisted that his side would bounce back against Namibia on June 10, 2025.

“We have lost the game, but we have not lost hope. We lost to a good team, which we congratulate, but I think our boys did well. They gave a good account of themselves,” he said.

The 60-year-old insisted that Lesotho could not have conceded that much had they taken their chances.

“We conceded, but we could have done better. It is another setback, but we have to come back in Tuesday’s match strong and see to it that we win the match,” Notsi said.

“The boys are disheartened by the loss, so we need to push them and try to give them confidence ahead of Tuesday’s match. All we need to do is ensure that we are clinical, put more effort, and be bullish. Aggression should be in our game.”

Lesotho started the tournament with a 1-0 win over Malawi last Thursday and now needs to beat Namibia at all costs to progress to the last four stage. Angola lead the pool with four points, one point ahead of Lesotho, while the Brave Warriors have two points and one for Malawi.