Gor Mahia coach pinpoints three tactical masterstrokes behind APR demolition
Reading Time: 2min | Sat. 25.07.26. | 11:20
The two sides collided on the opening day of the 2026 CECAFA Kagame Cup on Friday night
Gor Mahia head coach Charles Akonnor has highlighted three tactical approaches that tore apart Rwandan domestic heavyweights APR FC.
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The two sides met on the opening day of the 2026 CECAFA Kagame Cup staged at the Amohoro Stadium from 1900 hrs, where Gor Mahia seccured an emphatic 5-0 victory.
Leading the team on the night, vice captain Mike Kibwage opened the scoring in the 34th minute, before Patrick Esombe doubled the scores a minute later.
Second half goals from Paul Okoth, Lesley Otieno and Ebenezer Assfuah in the 64th, 79th and 85th minutes respectively, were enough for K’Ogalo to avenge for the defeat by a similar scoreline from APR in 2009.
Speaking after the match, Akonnor could not help but acknowledge the midfield superiority by his troops, explaining the substitution of new signing Ebenezer Ocran for Harambee Stars midfielder Alpha Onyango.
“Everything was good in terms of the team structure, and how we should play when we have the ball and off the ball. Our midfield structure was good. The composure and aggressiveness were all applied well when needed.
Ocran is a new player and needed to see how we play first. We subbed off Alpha because he was on a yellow card, and we feared for a red card,” said Akonnor.
The former Black Stars tactician also pointed out to the near-perfect performance by his defense after a shambolic outing against Rayon Sports.
“What was important for us though is our defensive display. We made many mistakes against Rayon. We did not look organized, but we showed our quality against APR, and that allowed us to attack,” he added.
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Additionally, the 52-year-old pointed out a key weskness in APR that K’Ogalo exploited to their adavatage.
“One of our main weapons was transition. They were not well organized when they lost the ball, and we were quick on transition, which we used to outsmart them,” he noted.