Zebras in croc attack
The Zebras’ operation ‘bring it home’ at the ongoing COSAFA Cup will turn to Likuena (Crocodiles) of Lesotho as the two teams clash on Saturday noon. The Zebras left for Gqeberha last week, with one intention; to bring the cup home after two near misses in 2016 and 2019. But the Zebras’ COSAFA Cup adventure began on a sour start, as they succumbed to a 1-0 loss to South Africa on Tuesday in the opening fixture.
The defeat put an early dent on the team’s progression to the knockout of the stage, particularly after the addition of Zambia into Group A of the tournament. In order to reach back-to-back semi-finals for the first time in history, the Zebras will need to win all their remaining games to avoid any hiccups.
Tomorrow’s clash has become more interesting for the Zebras after Lesotho pulled a surprise 2-1 win over Zambia yesterday. Interim coach Letang ‘Rasta’ Kgengwenyane is upbeat ahead of tomorrow’s clash as he said it is a ‘must win’. “We lost to Bafana, (and) we do not grade teams. We have been working on analysing the next opponent and (we) will work hard to get our first win in that game,” Rasta said.
Ahead of the fixture to be played at the Isaac Wolfson Stadium, the Zebras sit bottom without a point and yet to find the back of the net.
The team, however, earlier this week was bolstered by the arrival of midfielders Mothusi Cooper and Kago Monyake who had initially stayed behind after testing positive for COVID-19. The pair will not have a part to play in tomorrow’s game. “(They are) not available for Saturday but we will make a medical assignment and then we will take it from then. This will be made on Saturday,” Kgengwenyane said.
Captain, Thatayaone Ditlhokwe has been forced to return home due to a family bereavement while Moroccan duo Kabelo Seakanyeng and Tumisang Orebonye have arrived in Gqeberha. However, as of last night, they were still waiting for their COVID-19 results.