NAIROBI — AFC Leopards head coach Fred Ambani has praised his Sofapaka counterpart Ezekiel Akwana for his attacking mindset in Sunday's Premier League encounter between the two sides.
Ambani says many Kenyan coaches who are so defensively minded could learn a lot from Akwana.
"It was a thoroughly enjoyable game that flowed from end to end. There was minimal time wasting because both teams came to play. Congratulations to Akwana on what he is trying to do with Sofapaka. Many other Kenyan coaches could learn to play the same way and not be so defensively minded," Ambani said.
The battle of the felines at Kasarani Stadium seemed destined for a goalless draw until Kayci Odhiambo tapped in midway through the second half -- making the most of a goalmouth scramble.
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The win notwithstanding, Ambani reveals Sofapaka gave as much as they received, making for a thriller of a contest.
"It was a very tough match...we had chances to win it in the first half but Sofapaka were an equally good side and played well. In the second half, we got marginally better but we were still not converting our chances," he said.
Whereas the win increased Ingwe's points tally to keep pace with league leaders Gor Mahia, it also marked another slide down the relegation dungeons for Batoto Ba Mungu.
Indeed, contrary to Ambani's praises, statistics show that Sofapaka have gotten worse as the season progresses -- slumping to 17th on the log with 14 points, same as bottom-placed Kariobangi Sharks.
It won't matter, though, for Ingwe who are in red-hot form, and battling arch-rivals Gor Mahia for the league crown.
However, Ambani is alive to the fact that their wastefulness in front of goal may prove to be their Achilles heel in the race for the title.
"We are wasting a lot of chances...our strikers have not been able to fully utilise their chances well. It's true that this may prove risky for us in certain matches. It is important for us to score early because that allows us to settle in the game," he said.
He added: "Our players want to get the ball into the penalty area before taking shot. We must learn to take our shots from all angles and varieties. This is something we will work on."
Leopards will await to know the new date for their next fixture, against Nairobi United.
The tie was scheduled for the weekend but has been postponed to a later date.
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