Bandari coach Bernard Mwalala has attributed their defeat against Gor to an element of panic in the dying minutes.
Mwalala watched his boys concede in the 90+2 minute against Gor Mahia yesterday at Moi Stadium, Kisumu to drift four points off the defending champions.
The dockers had managed to contain the pressure from the marauding Gor forwards within the regulation time but were heartbroken by Jacques Tuyisenge who headed home in the added minutes to strike the difference between the two sides.
The much-hyped duel on social media provided Gor Mahia with sweet revenge after a 2-1 loss to the coastal side in the first leg. Gor had also fallen to the dockers in the SportPesa Shield Cup.
Mwalala said his side was unlucky to concede in the final minutes but hailed his playing unit for neutralising Gor and their overall displays.
He said: “There was panic in the last minutes of the game and we allowed them to score a header. It was painful to allow a goal after a good play within the regulation time. My philosophy was to attack them which was the case until we drew back to defend a counterattack which ended up in the net. I was impressed with my players for their good show and their brevity. We still have a chance to catch up with them.”
The youthful coach now wants his players to shift their focus on their next match where they are lined to take on AFC Leopards. The former Nzoia Sugar coach is confident that the players will have rectified the costly mistake and will use the match to redeem themselves from the Gor defeat.
“We now shift our attention to our next match where we play Leopards. We will have to correct the mistakes we made against Gor and use the match to redeem ourselves.”
The win took Gor a point clear at the top of the log with 49 points—one ahead of second-placed Sofapaka. Gor have three matches in hand. Bandari are now ranked third with 45 points.
