CAFCL: Police FC coach Ndayiragije outlines plan to overturn Al-Hilal defeat

Despite trailing from a 1-0 defeat against Sudanese champions Al-Hilal Omdurman in the CAF Champions League, Kenya Police FC head coach Etienne Ndayiragije has insisted his side will go for early goals in the return scheduled for Friday.

Police should blame themselves for not using the opportunities they had created before Al-Hilal scored what turned out to be the winner in the 19th minute. Striker Adama Coulibaly took advantage of a defensive mix-up to find the back of the net with a low effort past Job Ochieng.

‘Police know what they will face away’

“I told my players that when you get to the top level, you must reduce mistakes and make sure that when chances come, you don’t panic and waste them,” Ndayiragije told Azam TV as quoted by Mozzart Sports.

“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 the second half will be favourable for our side.”

The Burundian coach concluded: “At the start, they were getting into good positions but wasting chances anyhow. Now they are improving in the final third, which shows progress. We just need to be patient; if they continue like this, we’ll start seeing results.”

Police, who are making their maiden appearance in the lucrative competition, reached the second round after surviving a scare against Somalian champions Mogadishu City Club.

The law enforcers needed the away goals rule to qualify. They won the first leg 3-2 but suffered a shock 2-0 defeat in the return leg for a 3-3 aggregate result.