Kenya Police Coach Shares What Went Wrong in CAF Champions League Home Loss to Al Hilal

Kenya Police coach Etienne Ndayiragije believes his team paid the price for a lack of clinical edge in front of goal and as well as defensive mistakes in their match against Sudan’s Al Hilal Omdurman.

Police started their CAF Champions League second preliminary round on the wrong footing when they were beaten 1-0 by Al Hilal and it took just one mistake for the law enforcers to get behind as a 19th minute goal from Adama Coulibaly put them on the backfoot.

That is how it stayed as the Sudanese team went on to claim a priceless first leg lead and a vital away goal to protect heading to the second leg in Libya in seven days’ time.

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“I told my players that when you get to the top level, reduce the mistakes and make sure when you get chances, do not panic and waste them,” Ndayiragije told Azam TV after the game.

“I thought we were growing into the game and we could have finished off our chances. I take this as the first half and I believe second half will be favourable for our side.”

The Burundian tactician is confident of getting a positive result in the second leg in Libya and is also encouraged by what he has been seeing from his team so far.

“At the start, they were getting in good positions and wasting the chances anyhow but we reached a point they were playing well in the final third which means they are getting used to it,” he added. “We need to be patient, if they continue like, this they will get used to it and we will see results.”

The second leg will be staged in Libya on Friday October 24 with the Sudanese side playing away from home due to the war in their country. Whoever wins the two-legged tie will make it to the lucrative group stages of the competition.