Bantu FC of Lesotho coach, James Madidilane has declared that his team are still capable of turning the table against Rangers International of Enugu in the CAF Confederation Cup, as he believes they can get a shock away win on Sunday.
Footballlive.ng reports that Madidilane is not giving up, following his side’s 2-1 loss during the first leg on Sunday, as he reckons that their underdog status takes a lot of pressure off their thoughts.
Madidilane added that, despite losing at home, they cannot be stopped from believing that they can pull off an upset against Rangers.
He stressed that they are still on course to create history in Lesotho football by qualifying for the group stages of a continental soccer event for the first time in the interlocked country’s history.
Bantu pulled a late goal back against The Flying Antelopes in the first leg at the 7,000 capacity Leshoboro Seeiso Sports Complex, Mafeteng, such that Madidilane believes the reverse fixture can go in his team’s favour.
Having led Bantu to back to back league titles in his two seasons at the club, the 32-year-old Madidilane has his sights on achieving what no other club side from Lesotho has done.
The Mafeteng-based club had fallen in previous outings in the CAF Champions League in 2015 and 2018.
Though they were able to progress past the preliminary round in this season’s league, they lost to AS Vita of Congo in the first round.
That took into CAF’s second-tier competition where they have a second chance of making the group stages of a continental competition for the first time in their 92-year history, and Madidilane says the vision is on.
The South Africa ex-international said: “We are not scared of Rangers, but we respect them like we respected other teams.
“We have a good team which can win; if they minimise the mistakes and convert our chance.
“It would mean a lot to our team as Bantu Football club and also for the nation to see a club from Lesotho going through to the group stages.
“Bantu have a chance to write history in Lesotho football. It’s not going to be easy but we have worked in a way that we get the positive result.”
