Match Events
- 38′Niger, goal:1–0assistO. Badamassi
- 40′Lesotho, yellow card:Lehlohonolo FothoaneFoul
- 45′Niger, goal:2–0assistA. Wonkoye
- Half-time2 – 0
- 46′Lesotho, substitution:T. LesoaoanaoffT. Sefali
- 46′Lesotho, substitution:T. LetsemaoffI. Falene
- 49′Lesotho, yellow card:Rethabile MokokoaneArgument
- 58′Lesotho, yellow card:Thabo MakheleOff the ball foul
- 60′Lesotho, substitution:T. MalaneoffM. Makhetha
- 64′Niger, substitution:V. AdebayoroffA. Wonkoye
- 75′Lesotho, substitution:T. MakuruoffL. Fothoane
- 75′Lesotho, substitution:M. KulehileoffN. Mokhachane
- 78′Niger, substitution:off
- 79′Niger, substitution:I. Harounaoff
- 85′Lesotho, penalty goal:2–1S. MotebangPenalty
- 90+2′Niger, substitution:offO. Badamassi
- 90+2′Niger, substitution:offA. Camara
- Full-time2 – 1
Lineups
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Key Stats
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Goals
1 goalAssists
1 assist1 assistPlayer Ratings
Niger
Lesotho
Match report
Niger holds off late Lesotho fightback to open AFCON qualifying with a win
Niger beat Lesotho 2-1 in their opening AFCON Qualifying Group Stage fixture at Accra Sports Stadium, with two first-half goals proving enough despite a nervy finish. The match produced three goals in total, with the hosts doing the early damage before Lesotho pulled one back late on.
AI-assisted match report written from official match data.
Daniel Sosah opened the scoring in the 38th minute, finishing an assist from O. Badamassi, and Niger doubled their lead right on the stroke of half-time when Oumar Sako converted a chance created by A. Wonkoye. That left Niger 2-0 up at the break, a cushion built from just two clear openings inside 45 minutes.
Lesotho responded after the interval and got a foothold back in the contest in the 85th minute, when S. Motebang converted from the penalty spot to make it 2-1. It proved too late for Bob Mafoso's side to find an equaliser, and Niger held on for their first win under Nabil Neghiz after a run of results that had yielded little.
Lesotho had the greater share of possession and doubled Niger's shot count over the course of the match, while also picking up three yellow cards to Niger's none, but their pressure yielded only the one goal from the penalty spot.
Sosah struck the opener and finished with the highest rating on the pitch at 8.3, while strike partner Sako also got on the scoresheet as Niger's two-goal first-half burst decided the contest.
Lesotho had almost double the shots of Niger, 14 to 8, yet could not convert that pressure into more than a single penalty.
Niger beat Lesotho 2–1 (half-time 2–0).
Niger met Lesotho in the AFCON Qualifying (Group Stage - 1). Kick-off was Friday, 25 September 2026, 15:00 UTC at Accra Sports Stadium. Referee: Flávio Duarte.
Team pages: Niger · Lesotho · AFCON Qualifying
Key moments
- 38' Goal: Daniel Sosah (assist: O. Badamassi) — 1–0
- 45' Goal: Oumar Sako (assist: A. Wonkoye) — 2–0
- 85' Goal (penalty): S. Motebang — 2–1
Starting line-ups
Niger (4-2-3-1)
- 22 M. Tanja
- 2 Rahim Alhassane
- 3 Oumar Sako
- 13 M. Abdourahmane
- 24 A. Camara
- 6 Y. Oumarou
- 14 Ali Muhammad
- 11 A. Wonkoye
- 12 O. Badamassi
- 9 Kairou Amoustapha
- 7 Daniel Sosah
Lesotho (5-4-1)
- 16 S. Moerane
- 3 K. Koaeane
- 21 R. Mokokoane
- 20 T. Makhele
- 19 M. Makhetha
- 8 I. Falene
- 18 T. Sefali
- 10 L. Fothoane
- 4 T. Toloane
- 11 N. Mokhachane
- 9 S. Motebang
About this match
On this page: the Niger vs Lesotho final score and result, who scored, starting lineups, match stats and the full match report from this AFCON Qualifying fixture.
- Who scored and when — a goal-by-goal timeline of the match.
- Match stats — possession, shots, expected goals (xG), corners and cards.
- Starting lineups and player ratings for both teams.
- Head-to-head record and recent form for both sides.
The full match report above covers the goals, key moments and stats. Explore more on the Niger and Lesotho team pages or the AFCON Qualifying page.