Bafana Bafana comfortably beat Lesotho 3-0 in their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier encounter at the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein on Friday night.
Due to their stadiums not meeting FIFA accreditation standards, Likuena were forced to play their World Cup qualifier against Bafana Bafana on foreign soil in South Africa.
A day before the match, the secretary general of the Lesotho Football Association, Mokhosi Mohapi, issued a warning that they will protest if Bafana fields Teboho Mokoena. Interestingly, Bafana head coach Hugo Broos decided to start with the Mamelodi Sundowns star.
Bafana started the match well, generating several goal-scoring chances in the first-half and also controlling the game.
With South Africa putting pressure on the neighbours, Lesotho, Mohau Nkota broke the deadlock in the 15th minute of the clash, thanks to Aubrey Modiba’s beautiful assist. This was Nkota’s first goal in Bafana colours.
Lesotho failed to trouble Bafana in the first-half as they struggled to find an equaliser.
BAFANA BAFANA LEADING LESOTHO AT THE HALF-TIME BREAK
Broos’ troops went into the half-time break ahead of Lesotho 1-0, providing them with an advantage to secure the victory.
Bafana maintained their speed as they increased their tempo in the second stanza. They started testing Lesotho’s defence in an attempt to score another goal.
However, Lesotho started to enjoy their strongest phase of the match, yet they were held back and failed to create a meaningful opportunity to level matters.
South Africa continued to pile pressure on Lesotho, demonstrating their determination to secure maximum points and cement their top spot in Group C.
Lyle Foster added to the scoreline in the 64th minute to make it 2-0 for Broos’ charges. Just three minutes after the restart, Oswin Appollis netted the third goal for Bafana.
Lesotho couldn’t bounce back with Bafana taking command of the contest, making sure they walk away victorious.
The game ended with a 3-0 scoreline in favour of South Africa. As a result, Bafana are cruising nicely at the top of the Group C table with 16 points from seven outings.
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