Peter Okidi believes the crowd trouble witnessed at the Kenyatta Stadium, Machakos during their 1-1 draw with AFC Leopards as the reason they never got all three points.
Shabana head coach Peter Okidi has attributed his team’s 1-1 draw against AFC Leopards to distractions caused by fans during their league clash at Kenyatta Stadium, Machakos, on Sunday afternoon.
Shabana took an early lead in the 19th minute when Kevin Omundi capitalised on a deflected free-kick.
However, just before halftime, AFC Leopards responded through Ovella Ochieng, who converted a well-crafted assist from Clifton Miheso. Both teams had opportunities in the second half, but neither managed to find the decisive goal.
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Speaking after the match, Okidi expressed frustration over his side’s habit of conceding late in halves, drawing parallels to their previous fixture against Tusker.
In that game, Eric Balecho’s stoppage-time header cancelled out Shabana’s lead after Keith Imbali had put them ahead.
“I thank God we didn’t suffer any major injuries,” Okidi told Pulse Sports. “I think the boys executed our tactics well.
“We wanted an early goal, which we got, but I believe we were distracted when conceding the equaliser. Perhaps the disruptions in the stands affected them psychologically.”
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Shabana’s coach remains concerned about his team’s recurring defensive lapses, especially their tendency to concede goals either at the end of the first half or late in the second.
“The way we conceded today is the same way we’ve been conceding in recent matches—towards the end of the first half or the final minutes of the game. We need to work more,” he added.
Okidi emphasised the need to address these weaknesses to avoid throwing away valuable points in future matches.
“We must assess and find ways to close these loopholes because we always start well but end up dropping points. It’s very frustrating,” he concluded.
With Shabana continuing to struggle in holding onto leads, Okidi and his technical bench will be keen on shoring up their defence ahead of their upcoming fixtures.
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