Lesotho target positive finish despite dashed World Cup hopes

Likuena were officially eliminated from contention for the global showpiece following their 2-1 defeat to Nigeria at Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane on Friday. 

Notsi’s side were earlier handed a lifeline when FIFA awarded them three points from Bafana Bafana, but with qualification now out of reach, he remains intent on finishing strong.

"The big guns are now pushing each other, which I think all of us had expected, but for us, the interest, truly, is not on how they do up there," said Notsi.

"The focus for us is still to see to it that we end this campaign on a positive note – that's truly what we're looking at, to get a decent result and just secure more points for Lesotho.

"Tomorrow is another new day and we'll prepare well for [the Zimbabwe] match."

READ: Disheartened Broos admits setback in World Cup qualification race

Notsi expressed pride in his team’s overall campaign, highlighting the successful integration of several young players into the senior setup.

"The future of Likuena looks good – youngsters that we introduced during the COSAFA Cup, our regional cup competition," he added.

"And the youngsters we brought in a very critical game, and for us it's a positive direction that we took, so I would say for those youngsters, the team looks in good hands with them going forward."

Reflecting on their defeat to Nigeria, captain Sekhoane Moerane admitted the result was hard to take after the team entered the match full of belief.

"It did break our hearts because we expected maybe to gain a draw again against a big giant," Moerane shared.

"We pushed beyond our limits because, as you saw, if we take the game to them, they were cracking, they were staying [compact] at the back, so we had to push hard and take the game to them."