- Bidco United coach Anthony Akhulia has revealed the tactical approach that led to their impressive victory against Gor Mahia.
- They managed to secure a 1-0 win, with Newton Ochieng converting a penalty in the Sportpesa League opener on Sunday evening.
- Akhulia noted that after overhauling the squad with fresh, young players this season, the match also served as a valuable benchmark to assess their current form.
Bidco United head coach Anthony Akhulia says his defensive tactic paid off as they edged out Gor Mahia 1-0 in their opening match of the Sportpesa League 25/26 on Sunday evening.
At the Moi International Sports Center, Kasarani, Gor Mahia dominated proceedings throughout the 90 minutes. However, their resolve broke in the 88th minute when they conceded a penalty after George Amono brought down John Walubuka inside the box.
Newton Ochieng converted the spot-kick, securing maximum points for Akhulia’s side and ensuring they repeated last season’s results, having now gone three matches unbeaten against their rivals.
Bidco United coach Anthony Akhulia reveal tactical approach behind win over Gor Mahia
Speaking after the match, the Rising Stars U20 assistant coach stated that the opening fixture of the premier league is never easy.
They anticipated Gor Mahia’s dominance and aimed to ambush them with counterattacks, which prompted his decision to introduce speedy wingers.
“The first match of the league is always difficult because most of the teams are not fully organized. In this encounter, Gor was the better side, they created numerous chances. But we had a plan; we knew they would bring intensity, especially playing at home as a big team.”
“So our strategy was to sit back, hold them off from the back, and then hit them on the counter. That’s why I brought on rapid wingers, and in the end, it worked – we won the penalty from it.”
He also emphasized their preparedness to disrupt Gor Mahia’s passing game near their penalty area, a threat they successfully contained.
“Another aspect we focused on was preventing them from linking a series of passes in our final third, where they are particularly strong. Our primary objective was to defend deeply and neutralize their advancing speed and the approach yielded results.”
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Akhulia uses Gor Mahia match to gauge new team form
Akhulia mentioned that after overhauling the squad with fresh, young players this season, this match served as a benchmark to assess their current form.
He expressed satisfaction with how the new signings performed, seeing promise for the season ahead after narrowly avoiding relegation last term.
“Whenever an underdog faces a giant like Gor, the players motivate themselves. I saw the fixture and knew starting the league against Gor Mahia would be a good test for us. We wanted to measure our level after making massive changes to the squad. For this new team to perform as they did is very encouraging.”
“I’m delighted with my new signings, they met my expectations. Most of them came from the second division, and they really impressed me today.”
Bidco will not have a match in week two, as their scheduled fixture against Kenya Police was postponed due to the law enforcers’ involvement in the CAF Champions League.
This gives the team a two-week break to address shortcomings from this match before they face Nairobi United on the first weekend of October.
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