Lesotho is McCarthy’s second biggest win

Benny McCarthy’s Harambee Stars inflicted a 4-0 defeat on Likuena in Pretoria on Sunday, handing Lesotho head coach Atang Mafoso his first loss since taking charge in February.

After 19 matches at the helm of the Kenyan national football team, Harambee Stars, coach Benedict Saul McCarthy’s 4-0 triumph over Lesotho’s Likuena ranks as his second-biggest victory as head coach.

McCarthy’s side stunned Likuena on Sunday afternoon at Lucas Moripe Stadium in Pretoria, securing Kenya’s third consecutive game without defeat. The result extends a promising run under the former Cape Town City and AmaZulu mentor.

McCarthy’s highest-scoring result as Harambee Stars coach remains a 5-0 victory over Seychelles, recorded in Kenya during the Group F 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers in September 2025.

For Likuena head coach Atang Bob Mafoso, Sunday’s defeat was his first since taking charge of the national side in February this year. Mafoso, who returned from Namibia where he had coached a league-winning club, has nonetheless maintained a 75% unbeaten record across his four matches in charge.

He has recorded one win and two draws, including a draw against Kenya earlier last week, before Sunday’s 4-0 loss. The sequence points to a side still finding its feet at the top level, but one that has shown resilience.

The most persistent problem for Mafoso’s Likuena has been in front of goal. In four matches under his stewardship, Lesotho have scored three goals and conceded six.

“My team needs to improve physically. Our red card against Sekhoane Moerane was a huge blow. We were one man down against one of Africa’s formidable sides.”

Speaking after the final whistle, Mafoso described the result as a wake-up call as Lesotho turn their attention to the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualification campaign. Likuena are due to face Morocco in the group stage in September this year.

Sunday’s meeting was not the first time the two sides have clashed in recent memory. When Kenya and Lesotho last met, in September 2024, Lesotho fell to a narrow 1-0 defeat.