Niger capitalized on a relentless spell of late pressure to head into the halftime interval with a comfortable 2β0 lead over Lesotho in their AFCON qualifying encounter.
After controlling the majority of the ball with 59% possession, the hosts finally broke Lesotho’s resistance late in the period. The breakthrough arrived in the 38th minute when striker Daniel Sosah smartly finished off a setup from Ousmane Badamassi to put Niger ahead.
Lesothoβs defensive discipline began to fray under the constant strain, leading to a yellow card for Lehlohonolo Fothoane in the 40th minute following a tactical foul.
Just as Lesotho sought to make it to the break down by a single goal, Niger struck a heavy blow right on the stroke of halftime. Oumar Sako found the back of the net in the 45th minute, doubling the hosts’ advantage.
Dominating both possession and chances with four total shots, Niger head into the tunnel in firm control, leaving Lesotho with a massive mountain to climb in the second half.
