- KCB FC assistant coach Paul Ogai has revealed why they suffered a 3-0 defeat to Gor Mahia on Sunday at the Nyayo National Stadium.
- Ogai admitted they allowed Gor Mahia to dictate proceedings during the early exchanges and late spells of each half, periods where the league leaders have consistently proven ruthless this season.
- Enock Morrison, Sharrif Musa, and Samuel Kapen netted the goals for the record champions as they opened up a six-point cushion at the summit of the table.
KCB FC assistant coach Paul Ogai has opened up on the lapses that saw his side fall 3-0 to Gor Mahia on Sunday at the Nyayo National Stadium in Round 21 of the SportPesa League.
Gor Mahia secured a commanding victory with three first-half goals, stretching their lead at the top of the table to six points over title rivals AFC Leopards.
Enock Morrison broke the deadlock in the 23rd minute with a crisp low drive into the bottom-left corner to hand his side the advantage.
Five minutes later, Samuel Kapen delivered a well-weighted cross into the box for Sharrif Musa who doubled the lead with a composed finish.
Then, just before the halftime whistle, in the 47th minute, Kapen turned scorer to make it three, getting on the end of another assist from Musa as Gor Mahia cruised to a comfortable victory.
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KCB assistant coach Paul Ogai laments costly lapses in Gor Mahia defeat
Reacting to the defeat, Ogai admitted they allowed Gor Mahia to dictate play during the early exchanges and towards the end of the half periods where he noted the league leaders have often been lethal this season.
When you look at Gor Mahia, especially in the opening stages of a match and in the closing moments of the half, they are always dangerous. In their previous game against APS Bomet, they scored in the first quarter and netted the winner in the last quarter,” Ogai explained.
We knew they would be intense and that they’d look to dominate possession. Our aim was to stick to our style, but unfortunately it did not come off. They capitalized on our mistakes, and that’s how we ended up on the losing side.”
The former Darajani Gogo head coach also highlighted their struggles in the final third and their lack of sharpness in transition throughout the encounter.
“We need to be more clinical in front of goal and sharpen up our transitional play. Gor punished us during those moments in the game, so it’s definitely an area we have to improve going forward.”
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Ogai added that the technical bench would go back to the drawing board as they prepare for their next assignment – a tricky midweek clash against another title contender, AFC Leopards, on Wednesday.
I think we need to re-strategize. Our next opponents, AFC Leopards, are also in good form and coming off an impressive win. We have to improve, particularly in attack. We were not clinical enough, did not create enough shots to trouble the opposition, and conceding three goals isn’t our identity. We’ll work on it collectively,” he noted.
Ahead of the clash at the Kasarani Stadium, scheduled for 4:15pm EAT, Robert Matano’s side will be chasing their ninth win of the season, while aiming to build on their current tally of 29 points, which places them eighth in the standings.
