Africa-Press – Lesotho. After falling in last year’s Alliance Winter Challenge final, Matlama savoured the sweet taste of victory in this year’s showpiece by beating Linare 1-0 in an intense final on Sunday at Setsoto Stadium.
The match was settled by a solitary goal, a free-kick by Rethabile Mokokoane in the first half which sent Matlama fans into raptures. It was an error from Linare’s goalkeeper Tankiso Mafa which led to a goal as the stopper haplessly fumbled the ball into his net while he tried to catch it.
It proved to be a costly mistake because as hard as they tried, ‘Tse Tala’ could not break down ‘Tse Putsoa’s defence in the second half. The final whistle sparked jubilant celebrations as Matlama lifted their first Alliance Winter Challenge trophy since the inaugural tournament in 2015.
It also offered a ray of hope for a better upcoming season after ‘Tse Putsoa’ endured a miserable 2022/23 campaign in which they missed out on the top four.
Whether or not Matlama can actually be title contenders when the real action begin remains to be seen but head coach Halemakale Mahlaha was visibly pleased and relieved to see his side lift the pre-season curtain.
“It was difficult, Linare came prepared, they wanted to win, but I am happy for the boys. They resisted pressure, especially in the second half until the point of securing the win,” Mahlaha said.
Mokokoane’s goal in Sunday’s final was Matlama’s fourth over the two-day pre-season competition. The previous day ‘Tse Putsoa’ outclassed Lioli 3-0 in the semis. Mahlaha was pleased with his side’s finishing over the two days but insisted there remains room for improvement.
“We had to make changes (for the Alliance Winter Challenge) because my two senior players in offence are not here and it might have confused the team a bit, but I am happy given what we worked on,” Mahlaha explained.
“We hadn’t worked on finishing too much (in our preparations) but scoring four in two games is satisfying. When we start working on finishing, I hope the margin will go up,” he added.
Matlama went home on Sunday night with a trophy and M50 000 in prize money which will go a long way towards aiding their preparations for the new season.
‘Tse Putsoa’s dominance on the pitch saw them rack up all the Alliance individual awards as well.
Goalkeeper Monaheng Ramalefane kept two clean-sheets over the two days and was awarded Goalkeeper of the Tournament, an award that came with M2 500 in prize money.
Hlomelang Lebina, who joined Matlama from Lesotho Correctional Service (LCS) in the offseason, was named Player of the Tournament and went home with M3 600, while Mahlaha went home with M2 000 for being named as the best coach at the tournament.
The only award Matlama did not win was the top goalscorer which went to LCS’s Diutlwileng Molefe who scored two goals and took home M3 000. Lebina’s performance would have been especially gratifying for Matlama fans who got to see their new big-name signing in action for the first time since his arrival from LCS.
The exciting winger shared last season’s golden boot award with Matlama’s Jane Thabantšo and he looked an immediate livewire in Matlama blue. ‘Tse Putsoa’ will be hoping for more of the same from all their new signings as the 2022 champions seek to return to title contention when the new season kicks off next month.
“I think the new players will give us moral and when they become comfortable and we will have a competitive team gelling together,” Mahlaha said.
“We have signed quality players; we just need to polish them together with others.”
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