- Mathare United coach John Kamau has pinpointed a costly tactical lapse that led to their 2-1 defeat to Posta Rangers in the SportPesa League opener.
- Posta Rangers mounted a second-half comeback to edge Mathare with a 2-1 victory.
- Mathare will now look to bounce back when they take on KCB this weekend.
Mathare United head coach John Kamau has pinpointed the critical lapse that led to their 1-2 defeat against Posta Rangers in their Sportpesa League 2025/26 season opener.
Mathare had seized the lead in the first half through a penalty converted by Ellie Asieche at the Kasarani Annex on Monday afternoon.
However, the Mailmen staged a second-half comeback, scoring two goals. Faustin Ojiambo equalized before debutant Trevor Omondi netted the winner, securing all three points for Sammy ‘Omollo’ Pamzo’s side.
The tactical error behind Mathare united loss to Posta Rangers
Speaking after the match, Kamau also known as ‘Guardiola’ for his similar tactical approach to Pep Guardiola, revealed that it was a match they should not have lost.
He stated that after scoring the opener, his team retreated to defend and allowed the opponents to dominate possession in their final third, a decision that ultimately proved costly.
This is a match we did not deserve to lose. After we took the lead, we dropped deep into our own half, and that is where we went wrong,” Kamau explained.
Inviting that pressure allowed Posta Rangers to advance freely. If you look at the first half, we were pressing with our forwards, but in the second half, we dropped back.
We started to create some momentum, but they capitalized on it. For instance, they punished us for a mistake from a set-piece, which we failed to defend.”
Mathare United coach Kamau outlines season objectives
Looking ahead, Kamau’s primary mission is to successfully integrate the new signings into the squad’s philosophy.
He also emphasized the need to solidify the backline to avoid conceding heavily and to improve upon their 10th-place finish from the previous season.
“We’ve brought in fresh, young talent, and they’ve injected great energy into the squad. The priority now is ensuring they fully understand the club’s vision and playing identity. That’s crucial to avoiding the same mistakes,” Kamau noted.
“Our target is to improve significantly on last season’s 10th-place finish with 42 points. One of our biggest problems was conceding 40 goals, if we can tighten up at the back and refine the areas we fell short in, we’ll definitely be in a much stronger position.”
Mathare aim to bounce back against KCB
John Kamau will now seek a swift response from his team this weekend when they face another of his former employers, KCB, in their second match of the campaign – a challenge he is anticipating.
“It’s a season opener that ended in a loss, so the most important thing is to see how we respond. Our focus is squarely on preparing for the next match. Our entire ambition this season is to ensure we improve on our last campaign, and we are committed to doing just that,” he added.