Lowly Ranked Lesotho, Liberia Register Shock CHAN Victories
29th July 2019
There was also drama in Antananarivo as Madagascar, the surprise side of the Africa Cup of Nations that ended last weekend, pipped Mozambique 1-0 through a stoppage-time goal
- Lowly ranked Lesotho and Liberia pulled off shock victories Sunday in African Nations Championship (CHAN) second round first leg qualifiers
- Lesotho led twice in Maseru before snatching a 3-2 triumph over neighbours South Africa through a Lehlohonolo Fothoane goal one minute from time
- Liberia left it even later to upset Senegal 1-0 in Monrovia with Christopher Jackson grabbing the match-winner in the final minute
JOHANNESBURG, South
Africa- Lowly ranked Lesotho and Liberia pulled off shock victories Sunday
in African Nations Championship (CHAN) second round first leg qualifiers.
Lesotho led twice in Maseru before snatching a 3-2 triumph
over neighbours South Africa through a Lehlohonolo Fothoane goal one minute
from time.
Liberia left it even later to upset Senegal 1-0 in Monrovia
with Christopher Jackson grabbing the match-winner in the final minute.
There was also drama in Antananarivo as Madagascar, the
surprise side of the Africa Cup of Nations that ended last weekend, pipped
Mozambique 1-0 through a stoppage-time goal.
Unlike Friday and Saturday, when only one of seven home teams
won, three triumphed Sunday and the other four drew.
Lesotho are ranked 144 in the world, 74 places below South
Africa, and were underdogs even though the visitors fielded a youthful,
experimental side.
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With the South African Premiership kicking off next
Saturday, none of the local stars who reached the Cup of Nations quarter-finals
were available due to pre-season training.
Goals by Tsepo Seturumane and Hlompho Kalake for the Lesotho
Crocodiles were cancelled by Tercious Malepe and substitute Livuyo Phewa,
leaving the teams level after 78 minutes.
But with a draw looming, Fothoane, a 22-year-old midfielder
who plays for top-flight club Bantu in a town 75 kilometres (47 miles) south of
Maseru, stole the show.
Jackson is also 22 years old and plays for first division
outfit Liberian International Shipping and Corporate Registry (LISCR FC),
popularly known as the Shipping Boys.
- Timely boost -
The victory was a timely boost for a country that has had
little success internationally at national team and club levels recently and
lie 132 places below Senegal in the world rankings.
None of the Senegal team that finished runners-up to Algeria
in the 2019 Cup of Nations were involved as the CHAN is restricted to footballers
playing in their country of birth.
Senegal have constantly struggled when playing away in the
Nations Championship with the loss in Monrovia their sixth in nine qualifiers
spanning six editions.
Arnaud Randrianantenaina scored three minutes into stoppage
time for Madagascar, who far exceeded expectations by reaching the Cup of
Nations quarter-finals in Egypt this month.
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En route to the last eight, the Malagasy stunned three-time
champions Nigeria to win Group B before eliminating the Democratic Republic of
Congo after a second-round penalty shootout.
Madagascar fielded a vastly different team against the
Mozambicans as only two of the 23 stars in the Cup of Nations squad play for
clubs based on the vast Indian Ocean island.
Tanzania had hopes of avenging a Cup of Nations loss to
Kenya last month dashed when the arch east African rivals fought to a 0-0 draw
in Dar es Salaam.
The return matches are scheduled for August 3/4 with the
overall winners advancing to the final qualifying round during September and
October for the 2020 tournament in Cameroon.