LIKUENA suffered a humiliating 3-1 defeat at the hands of Eswatini in what was regarded as an easy Confederation of Southern African Football Associations (COSAFA) Cup opener for them at the Nelson Mandela Bay stadium on Tuesday.

Midfielder, Jane Thabantšo was red-carded within the first seven minutes of the game after making an unnecessarily dangerous tackle outside his 18 area.

The Leslie Notsi 10-man squad rose to the occasion and remained dominant in the first 25 minutes of the match, making several attempts at Eswatini’s goalposts.

They however, failed to convert any goals until Eswatini gained confidence and netted a set piece through Felix Badenhorst in the 42nd minute, after a foul by Thabang Malane outside the 18 area.  

Lesotho responded through a set piece of their own by Tumelo Khutlang in the 45th minute, which put the two sides on even by half time.

After the second half, the Swazis applied more pressure on the 10 Basotho men and scored their second goal through Kethokuhle Mkhontfo in the 57th minute.

On the 78th minute, Fanelo Mamba put the final nail on Lesotho’s coffin, giving the Mountain Kingdom boys a difficult start in their campaign.

Likuena are set to play their three remaining matches against Zambia on Thursday, Botswana on Saturday and hosts South Africa on July 13. But they should at least win two matches to increase their chances of progressing to the semifinals scheduled for July 16.