COSAFA Cup eludes Lesotho and Botswana

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NTHAKO MAJORO

MASERU – Lesotho and Botswana have been two of the best sides to have competed at the COSAFA Cup over the years without ever winning the title.

The two countries’ national senior football teams have both made the final appearances and been regular visitors to the last four, including last time out in Durban, South Africa, in 2019. Lesotho’s Likuena have been runners-up in the COSAFA Cup, reaching the final in 2000 when they lost convincingly 6-0 on aggregate to Zimbabwe.

The progress of Likuena to the deciding tie shook up the competition and proved that the playing fields of southern Africa had been levelled by the so-called minnows of the region.

Beaten by Zambia and Mozambique in 2001 and 2002 respectively, they lost on post-match penalties to the Mozambicans in 2003 and Botswana in 2004, when they were beaten 11-10 by the Botswana Zebras in an incredible shootout in Maseru.

In 2006 they drew with Mozambique and then won on penalties, but lost their group final at home to Angola. The poor run continued in 2007 as they lost to Angola and Namibia, but they did at least put up a good showing in 2008 when they beat the Comoros, their first win in the competition outside of Lesotho, and drew with Namibia.

However, their 1-0 loss to Malawi meant they did not progress to the quarterfinals. They were ousted in the first round on goal difference in 2009, despite a win and a draw in their two matches.

But fortunes improved in 2013 when they finished fourth in the competition, advancing through the pool stages before losing in the semi-finals to Zimbabwe and then being beaten to bronze by South Africa.

The side were knocked out in the first round in South Africa in 2015, defeating Tanzania in their pool but losing to Madagascar and eSwatini.

But then they found their form in Namibia a year later when they stormed through the pool stages, getting wins over Mauritius, Angola and Malawi, before losing to South Africa on penalties in the quarterfinals after a 1-1 draw.

Lesotho reached the semi-finals of the competitions in 2017, 2018 and 2019, but narrowly lost on each occasion.

The first two ended in defeat to Zimbabwe (4-3 and on penalties after a 0-0 draw), before they lost 2-1 to Botswana on the last of those.

They picked up the bronze medal in 2018 after beating Madagascar in the third-place play-off.

COSAFA CUP record at a glance

TOURNAMENT FINISHES

  • – First round
  • – First round
  • – Quarterfinals
  • – Runners-up
  • – Quarterfinals
  • – First round
  • – First round
  • – First round
  • – First round
  • – First round
  • – First round
  • – First round
  • – First round

2013 – Semi-finals

  • – First round
  • – Quarterfinals
  • – Semi-finals
  • – Third-place
  • – Semi-finals

COSAFA Cup results record

COSAFA Cup matches and statistics

DATE

VENUE

OPPONENT

ROUND

RESULT

GOALSCORERS

2-0-97

Maseru

ZAMBIA

First Round

0-2

18-1-98

Maseru

ZIMBABWE

First Round

0-2

7-2-99

Maseru

NAMIBIA

First Round

1-0

Ntšonyana

4-7-99

Maseru

ANGOLA

Quarterfinals

0-1

5-3-00

Harare

ZIMBABWE

First Round

1-2

Majara

11-6-00

Maseru

ZAMBIA

Quarterfinals

0-0

23-7-00

Maseru

ANGOLA

Semi-finals

2-1

Maseela, Ntšonyana

13-8-00

Maseru

ZIMBABWE

Final, 1st Leg

0-3

27-8-00

Bulawayo

ZIMBABWE

Final, 2nd Leg

0-3

24-6-01

Maseru

ZAMBIA

Quarterfinals

1-2

Ntsonyana

7-4-02

Maseru

MOZAMBIQUE

First Round

0-2

22-3-03

Maputo

MOZAMBIQUE

First Round

0-0

29-2-04

Maseru

BOTSWANA

First Round

0-0

11-6-05

Lusaka

MALAWI

Group Stages

1-2

Potse

29-4-06

Maseru

MOZAMBIQUE

Group Stages

0-0

30-4-06

Maseru

ANGOLA

Group Stages

1-3

Moletsane

28-7-07

Gaborone

ANGOLA

Group Stages

0-2

29-7-07

Gaborone

NAMIBIA

Group Stages

2-3

Muso 2

20-7-08

Secunda

MALAWI

Group Stages

0-1

22-7-08

Secunda

NAMIBIA

Group Stages

1-1

Rankara

24-7-08

Secunda

COMORES

Group Stages

1-0

Lesesa

19-10-09

Harare

ZIMBABWE

Group Stages

2-2

Maile 2

21-10-09

Harare

MAURITIUS

Group Stages

1-0

Boakang

8-7-13

Kitwe

KENYA

Group Stages

2-2

Mokhahalane (pen), Tale

9-7-13

Kitwe

BOTSWANA

Group Stages

3-3

Mokhahlane (pen), Lerotholi, Tale

11-7-13

Lusaka

eSWATINI

Group Stages

2-0

Letsie, Seturumane

14-7-13

Kitwe

ANGOLA

Quarterfinals

1-1

Tale

17-7-13

Ndola

ZIMBABWE

Semi-finals

1-2

Mofolo

20-7-13

Ndola

SOUTH AFRICA

3rd-4th Play-Off

1-2

Maile

18-5-15

Phokeng

MADAGASCAR

Group Stages

1-2

Tale

20-5-15

Phokeng

eSWATINI

Group Stages

0-2

22-5-15

Moruleng

TANZANIA

Group Stages

1-0

Kamela

DATE

VENUE

OPPONENT

ROUND

RESULT

GOALSCORERS

12-6-16

Windhoek

MAURITIUS

Group Stages

3-0

Thaba-Ntšo, Kamela, Motebang

14-6-16

Windhoek

ANGOLA

Group Stages

2-0

Khutlang, Kalake

16-6-16

Windhoek

MALAWI

Group Stages

1-0

Thaba-Ntšo

18-6-16

Windhoek

SOUTH AFRICA

Quarterfinals

1-1

Thaba-Ntšo

21-6-16

Windhoek

ZAMBIA

Plate Semifinals

2-3

Tsosane, Makepe

1-7-17

Phokeng

NAMIBIA

Quarterfinals

0-0

5-7-17

Moruleng

ZIMBABWE

Semifinals

3-4

Motebang, Potloane, Koetle

7-7-17

Moruleng

TANZANIA

3rd-4th Play-Off

0-0

2-6-18

Polokwane

eSWATINI

Quarterfinals

1-0

Motebang

6-6-18

Polokwane

ZIMBABWE

Semifinals

0-0

8-6-18

Polokwane

MADAGASCAR

3rd-4th Play-Off

1-0

Nkoto

1-6-19

Durban

UGANDA

Quarterfinals

0-0

5-6-19

Durban

BOTSWANA

Semifinals

1-2

Motebang

7-6-19

Durban

ZIMBABWE

3rd-4th Play-Off

2-2

Thaba-Ntšo, Bereng

GOALSCORERS

4 goals – Motebang, Tale, Thaba-Ntšo

3 – Maile, Ntšonyana

2 – Kamela, Mokhahalane, ‘Muso

1 – Bereng, Boakang, Kalake, Khutlang, Koetle, Lerotholi, Lesesa, Letsie, Majara, Makepe,

Maseela, Mofolo, Moletsane, Nkoto, Potloane, Potse, Rankara, Seturumane, Tšosane

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