Kenyan Premier League champions Charles Akonnor has defended team selection following K’Ogalo’s 2-0 defeat to Egyptian Pyramids FC in their CAF Champions League first-leg encounter at Nyayo National Stadium.
The Ghanaian tactician admitted that, despite his confidence in the players who started the match, things simply failed to go according to plan.
“We used the right players, players we believed were capable of doing the job but unfortunately, a few things went wrong,” Akonnor said after the match.
Akonnor also highlighted the key moments where Gor lost focus as he also noted Pyramid as a team to watch out on while facing them.
“We were not very good in the first half but took control in the second half, there was a little bit of disorganization and Pyramids are a very good side, you don’t give them those chances because when you do it, they will punish you.”
Akonnor acknowledged the disappointment of losing at home but maintained that the performance should be viewed as a learning experience, particularly against a Pyramids side with considerable experience on the continental stage.
“It is disappointing, but there are lessons we can take from the game considering that we played such a big side. We have to look at what went wrong and see how we can improve,” he added.
The winner of the two-legged contest will advance to the second preliminary round, where they will face either South Sudan’s El Merreikh Bentiu or Somalia’s Heegan FC.
