Nyasa coach warns Gor Mahia ahead of return leg tie in Blantyre

Gor Mahia FC's Kenneth Muguna (left) and Chimango Kayira of Nyasa Bullets of Malawi during CAF Champions League at Kasarani Stadium on Nov 28, 2018. [Jonah Onyango, Standard]

Interim Gor Mahia coach Zedekiah ‘Zico’ Otieno was critical of Nyasa Big Bullets defensive tactics as the Kenyan giants laboured to beat the Malawians 1-0 in Wednesday’s night first leg of the CAF Champions League preliminary round, at the Kasarani Stadium.

A resolute Nyasa seemed to be on the way to securing a priceless draw on the night only for Bernard Ondiek to come off the bench and break their hearts with a last gasp winner.

With want-away influential midfielder Francis Kahata conspicuously missing on the matchday squad and lead striker Jacques Tuyisenge having been substituted in the ninth minute after suffering a suspected knee injury, things looked tough for Gor.

Slim advantage

The record Kenyan champions literally struggled to break down the visitors’ back line until Ondiek who replaced an injured Kenneth Muguna midway through the second half, latched on to Humphrey Mieno’s pass to hand K’Ogalo a slim advantage.

Even though Gor have a lead to defend when they travel to Blantyre on December 5, there is life left in this tie.

“I think we struggled a bit because this was our first competitive match as a team since the Goodison Park trip. Remember, not everyone here went to Liverpool. So, it was definitely going to be difficult for us,” said Zico.

Gor Mahia players pray ahead of the CAF Champions League match against Nyasa Big Bullets of Malawi at Kasarani Stadium on Nov 28, 2018. [Jonah Onyango, Standard]

“But you all saw the opponents try to play a defensive game, waiting for counter-attack to hit us; they were not leaving spaces for us to utilise. They really defended very well and made it difficult for us to break them down. We were even forced to make two crucial substitutions due to injuries, but I’m happy we managed to get a goal. The important thing is that we won the game.

“Nowadays, it is not difficult to play away from home. So, I’m confident we can progress to the next round when we go to Blantyre. But to do so, we must beat them again.”

But with Nyasa boasting a formidable home record at Kamuzu Stadium, coach Kalisto Pasuwa says the game is far from over as he blamed lapse of concentration for the first leg defeat.

“It’s very unfortunate, we conceded in the dying minutes of the game due to lapse in concentration. The boys were solid enough throughout the game and were not allowing Gor Mahia to penetrate through the centre until the last two minutes of the game,” said Pasuwa.

“We now need a goal to unsettle our opponents. It’s not yet game over because we still have another 90 minutes to play at home. This is football, and anything can happen. But we need to be sharp in front of goal.”

Match-winner Bernard Ondiek is fully aware of the task lying ahead of them.

“From last season’s experience, this is a very important win for us and we are going to try our best to stop them from scoring away,” said Ondiek.

The winner on aggregate in Kamuzu will face the victor between Cameroon side USM de Loum and Nigerian side Lobi Stars in the first round.