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The experienced gaffer has expressed frustration over missed chances as Kenya Police FC face a tough second leg in Egypt.
Kenya Police FC head coach Anthony ‘Modo’ Kimani expressed his anger after his charges squandered a series of opportunities resulting in a 1-0 loss to Egypt’s Zamalek FC in the first leg of the CAF Confederation Cup second preliminary round.
The match, held at the Nyayo National Stadium, saw Kenya Police dominate key portions of the game but ultimately fall short after failing to convert multiple chances.
Despite Zamalek’s early dominance, the hosts had several golden opportunities to take the lead, but their failure to capitalize left Kimani frustrated.
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17:07 - 14.09.2024
CAF Confederation Cup: Kenya Police fail to utilise their chances to hand Zamalek first leg advantage
Kenya Police failed to make their chances count as Zamalek got one step closer to sealing a CAF Confederation Cup group stage place.
The Law Enforcers must now overturn the result in the second leg scheduled for September 25th in Egypt if they hope to progress in the competition.
"I'd like to say that we are very proud of the boys. I think they've done their best, though their best wasn't good enough today," Kimani said in his post-match press conference.
"However, that doesn't mean we won't do well when we go to Egypt."
Kimani highlighted that while the team executed their game plan well and created enough chances to win, the lack of finishing in critical moments was their downfall.
"We played according to the game plan we had prepared and created some very good scoring opportunities. Unfortunately, we weren't able to fully capitalize on those chances," Kimani continued.
"It wasn't frustrating because in football, you can win at any moment—early on or very late in the match."
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12:45 - 15.09.2024
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Kenya Police FC started the game positively, with midfielder Francis Kahata delivering a defense-splitting through ball in the seventh minute that nearly set debutant Jesse Were through on goal.
However, the Zamalek goalkeeper was quick off his line to deny the opportunity. The Egyptian side quickly responded, with winger Z. Maher giving Police FC’s defense a tough time, resulting in a yellow card for Aboud Omar.
Despite Zamalek's initial pressure, Police FC grew into the game and looked the more dangerous side midway through the first half.
In the 24th minute, Were controlled a long ball and set up Kahata, who in turn played a clever pass to Jafari Owiti, but Owiti’s effort went wide.
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09:30 - 15.09.2024
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The home side had another clear-cut opportunity just before halftime when David Okoth whipped in a cross, but Were was unable to convert under pressure.
Zamalek made Kenya Police FC pay for their missed chances in the dying moments of the first half.
A tactical error during a free kick saw Zizo cleverly pass the ball to Abdullah Al-Saeed on the edge of the box, who rifled a shot into the top corner, giving the Egyptian giants a 1-0 lead.
Kimani made two tactical substitutions early in the second half, bringing on Alvin Mang’eni and Tyson Otieno for Brian Okoth and Jafari Owiti.
The changes injected energy into Police FC’s attack, with Mang’eni providing extra width and combining well with Omar on the left.
However, despite a series of chances, including a glaring miss by substitute Alfred Leku, the equalizer proved elusive.
Reflecting on the missed opportunities, Kimani acknowledged the disappointment felt by his players but urged them to remain positive ahead of the second leg.
"The players, of course, are disappointed, as you'd expect.They gave their best and probably felt we could have gotten more out of this match. I will encourage them to stay positive and plan very carefully when we head to Egypt," Kimani added.
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With a daunting away leg in Egypt looming, Kenya Police FC must now regroup and find a way to overcome Zamalek on their home turf if they hope to advance to the next round of the CAF Confederation Cup.
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