Mahlaha criticised Lioli’s approach and said his side deserved better than a point.
“If you look at the final minutes of the game, it ended with Lioli being in their half the whole time and that shows that we piled on the pressure,” Mahlaha said.
“(The Lioli players) were all in their (penalty) box preventing us from scoring; they wanted a draw and they got it,” he lamented.
Another reason why Mahlaha was annoyed with Lioli’s tactics is that the draw has allowed champions Bantu to creep back into the title race with the Mafeteng giants now trailing Matlama by five points.
With 15 games to go in the campaign, anything can happen and Bantu remain firmly in contention to defend their title.
Matlama could have been sitting more comfortably in the pound seats.
They took the lead against Lioli through Phafa Tšosane but their excitement only lasted two minutes before Thabo Masuoane silenced the blue army.
Whether or not Lioli played for a draw for the remainder of the game, Matlama still had ample chances to score which they could not convert.
In fact, Matlama could have played for another 90 minutes without finding a winning goal such was their wayward finishing.
Matlama’s profligacy in front of goal is a problem Mahlaha acknowledged previously and he again admitted ‘Tse Putsoa’ have to pull up their socks in the second round.
While Mahlaha was visibly frustrated with the draw, Lioli mentor Motheo Mohapi was more than content with the result.
That is the contrasting nature of football, and Mohapi praised his players for successfully carrying out his mandate for this season.
Lioli finished last season in 10th place and haven’t won the league title since 2016. In fact, ‘Tse Nala’ haven’t finished in the top four since 2018 which is not good enough for a five-time league champion and one of the country’s most successful clubs.
Mohapi said all they wanted to do was to bring dignity back to Lioli and he believes they have done that which is proven by the legion of supporters who are now coming out in numbers to support the team.
“We are going to continue to gain more points in the second half of the season, until we are in a position that can be talked about with dignity when someone talks about Lioli, locally or internationally. We must make sure that people know what they are talking about,” Mohapi said.
“I am very happy with our supporters, they came out in numbers. The players from other teams were here (to watch the match) and we felt alive,” he added.
Mohapi has masterminded a remarkable turnaround at Lioli and a league trophy would be a cherry on top.
However, ‘Tse Nala’ are not alone with their eyes on the grand prize. Matlama, Bantu and maybe even Lesotho Mounted Police Service (LMPS) appear to be in a fiery battle that will go down to the final day of the season.
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