Kenya Police head coach blames two costly mistakes against Al Hilal
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Reading Time: 2min | Sat. 18.10.25. | 18:59
Despite dominating long spells of possession, the Law Enforcers could not find a way past the Sudanese defense
Kenya Police FC head coach Etienne Ndayiragije believes his side paid the price for profligacy and defensive lapses during their 1-0 defeat to Sudan’s Al Hilal Omdurman in the first leg of the CAF Champions League second preliminary round.
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Police were punished for a single mistake in the 19th minute when Adama Coulibaly capitalised to give Al Hilal a crucial away goal and a narrow first-leg advantage.
Despite dominating long spells of possession, the Law Enforcers could not find a way past the Sudanese defense.
That lone strike proved decisive, leaving the Burundian tactician frustrated by his team’s lack of composure in both boxes.
“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 after the match.
The coach, however, struck a positive tone, describing the defeat as part of a two-legged “first half” and expressing confidence that his side can turn things around in the return leg.
“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,” he added.
Ndayiragije remains optimistic that Police can deliver a better performance in the second leg, encouraged by the progress he has seen from his players in recent matches.
“At the start, they were getting into good positions but wasting chances anyhow. Now they are improving in the final third, which shows progress,” he said.
“We just need to be patient; if they continue like this, we’ll start seeing results.”
The second leg will be played on Friday, 24 October, in Libya, where Al Hilal are hosting their continental fixtures due to the ongoing conflict in Sudan.
The aggregate winner of the tie will advance to the CAF Champions League group stages, a milestone the Law Enforcers are chasing in their debut continental campaign.
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