<
>

Lesotho coach vows revenge on Uganda

Lesotho coach Moses Maliehe Muzi Ntombela/BackpagePix

Lesotho may have been defeated by Uganda in Saturday's Africa Cup of Nations qualifier, but coach Moses Maliehe is confident that his side can make amends in the return leg.

Emmanuel Okwi's double and a goal from Farouk Miya saw the Cranes to a comfortable 3-0 victory over the previously undefeated Lesotho at the Mandela National Stadium, Namboole.

The win was coach Sebastien Desabre's first competitive victory as Uganda boss, but Maliehe has warned the Frenchman that his side will look to avenge their defeat in front of their own fans in the return match on Tuesday.

"I must congratulate Uganda for beating us," Maliehe told KweséESPN, "but they should know that it is not over yet because they still have to come to Maseru.

"We shall also use the advantage of the home crowd," he added, before acknowledging that the atmosphere created by the Uganda fans paid a part in his side's downfall on Saturday.

"My players were panicking," he continued. "In the first half, we did not play well at all and they lost a lot of focus.

"I warned my players about the Ugandan team and the environment at the stadium, but they failed to listen to instructions and Uganda Cranes totally overran us.

"In the second half, we tried to play when I introduced a second striker to try and keep Uganda defending deeper."

Lesotho, who are ranked 145th in the world, have never before qualified for the AFCON. However, two draws in their opening two fixtures - against Tanzania and Cape Verde - had boosted hopes that they could gatecrash the extended tournament in Cameroon.