- Gor Mahia booked their FKF Cup quarterfinal spot after a 2-0 win against Bandari FC on Saturday in their Round of 16 match.
- Sinisa Mihic stated that the team had a game plan for both halves, which led to their decisive victory.
- Gor Mahia will now face Kariobangi Sharks in the Cup quarterfinals.
Gor Mahia head coach Sinisa Mihic has revealed the strategic plan that guided his team to a commanding 0-2 victory over Bandari FC in the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Cup on Saturday.
Gor booked their place in the FKF Cup quarterfinals with a decisive win at the Mbaraki Sports Club in Mombasa.
Benson Omalla broke the deadlock in the closing moments of the match, before Alpha Onyango sealed the victory with a stoppage-time goal.
Reflecting on the match, Mihic explained that his game plan was meticulously crafted for both halves.
In the first 45 minutes, Gor Mahia focused on absorbing pressure from Bandari’s long balls while creating scoring opportunities though they initially struggled to convert them.
We had two separate strategies for the first and second halves,” Mihic told FKF Cup media.
I knew before the game that they would analyze us based on the previous game, so I changed the formation and changed the players.
We can say we forced them into collective team dribbling because they expected to exploit space behind us, but there was none for them. They also tried long passes throughout the first half, which were easy for us to control. Unfortunately, we missed our chances.”
The Croatian tactician emphasized that maintaining energy levels under the sweltering coastal heat was key in the second half. He introduced fresh legs to preserve the team’s intensity and manage the match tempo.
“In the second half, we brought on our regular starters. It was a deliberate move to maintain energy balance under the scorching sun. I’m proud of how both sets of players performed—they executed our plan in both halves well,” he added.
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Mihic further elaborated on the tactical adjustments made late in the game to secure the win.
This pitch, however, is not ideal for controlling short passes, so at the end of the game, we changed the formation to 3-4-3. Then, in the last ten minutes, we switched to 4-2-3-1 as we replaced Levin Odhiambo with Bryson Wangai, and it worked,” he reiterated.
Gor Mahia vs Kariobangi Sharks in the Quarterfinals
Gor Mahia will now face Kariobangi Sharks in the quarterfinals. The Sharks secured their spot in the last eight with a remarkable 3-1 comeback win over Denmark at the same venue earlier on Saturday.