Lesotho Coach Highlights Harambee Stars’ Main Strengths After Heavy Loss to Kenya

Lesotho coach Atang "Bob" Mafoso has outlined Kenya’s main strength that his team struggled with when they lost 4-0 to Harambee Stars on Sunday.

Kenya secured the big win thanks to a brace from Mohammed Bajaber and another pair of goals from second-half substitute Lawrence Okoth.

Harambee Stars started quickly and were rewarded with an eighth-minute opener from Bajaber before he added the second in the 52nd minute and then a couple more from Okoth in the 84th and 88th minutes.

It was a much-improved display from Kenya, who had played out a 1-1 draw with the same opponent on Thursday, as their movement, attitude and relentlessness gave the Southern African side plenty of problems.

Reflecting on the game, Mafoso says his team found it hard to cope with Kenya’s wide players with Bajaber and William Lenkuape deployed on the wings by head coach Benni McCarthy.

“We had a bit of a challenge in wide areas but I felt on the right-hand side, we were still in control,” Mafoso told the media.

“Left hand side is where we lost a little bit of control. Instead of following the runner we followed the player who was coming to feed,” he highlighted, explaining how his side struggled against Bajaber.

Mafoso also pointed out another strength for the Kenyan team that his charges could not handle and which he feels left them with plenty of lessons.

“We were talking on Thursday that they are athletic, they run a lot and once we are a man down, it was always going to be difficult,” he explained, picking out the pace of Kenya as another key thing his team struggled against.

Lesotho played most of the second half with 10 men after Sekhoane Moerane was sent off in the 53rd minute but they had gone down 2-0 by this time.

Mafoso says the game has given his team a good test ahead of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers which they will play against Niger, Morocco and Gabon.