Overseeing his first fixture since being appointed the new coach of the record Kenyan champions on a permanent deal after replacing axed Leonardo Martins Neiva, the Croatian gaffer cut a frustrated figure especially after the Slum Boys took the lead against the run of play in the 15th minute.
A cross from the right wing found Ellie Asieche unmarked at the far post, and the captain did not hesitate as he connected with a powerful header to put the Slum Boys ahead.
After the goal, Gor Mahia should have levelled matters almost immediately after their Congolese forward Gedeon Bendeka found himself unmarked inside Mathare’s danger zone, but goalkeeper Robert Mboya denied him from close range. Bendeka had another great chance to level matters in the 23rd minute, a one-on-one situation with keeper Mboya, but he blasted his right-footed effort wide.
However, in the 35th minute after the water break, K’Ogalo pulled a goal back when Alphonse Omija found the back of the net with a curling effort. The two sides went into the half-time break tied at 1-1.
At the start of the second period, Mboya was called to action twice to deny the wasteful Bendeka and Omija prompting Mathare United coach John Kamau to ring changes to his squad, bringing on Meshack Ochieno and Derrick Anami for new signings Donald Ange and Peter Oudu.
In the 71st minute, the enterprising Mboya made another decisive save to deny Charles Bbaale from capitalising on a defensive lapse but in the 76th minute, Gor Mahia were awarded a penalty after Samuel Kapen was brought down in the area.
Ghanaian import Enock Morrison stepped up to send Mboya the wrong way to the relief of K’Ogalo fans and coach Mihic.
Gor Mahia must stop being nervous
Despite bagging vital three points Mihic was not impressed with the team’s finishing abilities promising to work on the area before their next fixture.
“We must be more clinical, we missed too many chances and then we became a little bit nervous, you know. The players started to be a little bit nervous but after, we started to breathe again, they started to play better but we must finish those chances, I hope we will improve on this and become better in subsequent matches,” Mihic told Flashscore.
“I am not satisfied with some small tactical things. We had to release the pressure from some of the players, we invited them into our own half and we conceded a goal from our own ball possession, it was out but we complicated issues for ourselves. I think we had practised this in training, and needed to be more practical and apply the same.”
Mihic, who holds a UEFA Pro License and has coached in Sudan, Libya, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait, further blamed the condition of the pitch for slowing down his players and not being able to play according to his plans.
“On that kind of a pitch when the ball is too much jumping and wild, it is very difficult to play your game, so you must play tactical football like we did after and we changed the game a little bit with fresh players, especially on the wing position,” explained Mihic.
“We need to play more direct football, more offensive football. You can’t be able to play clinical games especially on this kind of a pitch especially when it is natural grass, it is the fact, and that is the truth.”
“You can only play good football on a good pitch, but here is a big no. One pass, second chance especially inside of the pitch, you need too much time to control it and then again you end up losing it.”
The Croat, however, said from his first game, he had managed to understand Gor Mahia better and they will have an improved performance in subsequent matches.
“You will have to play direct football and then connect from the wings. Now I understand my team after the game, I know more things than before but once again you have to win, victory is always good. We have three points in the bag, that is it, we need to move forward, we need to be happy and improve on our mistakes.”
The win enabled Gor Mahia to move four points behind joint league leaders Kenya Police FC and Tusker, who have garnered 38 points. K’Ogalo have managed 10 wins, four draws and suffered five defeats.
Mathare were punished for their own mistakes
Meanwhile, Mathare coach John Kamau believes they were beaten by Gor Mahia because of their main undoing.
“I think it was a very direct game, and when I look at it, we were punished because of our own undoing, because of our own mistakes and we were made to pay for it,” Kimani told Flashscore after the game.
“I think for us, we had to work so hard to get that one goal and I think at some point, we were not in a position to contain them but we also had some moments in the game when we created our own chances but again we didn’t make any use of them.”
Kamau, who doubles up as the assistant coach to Harambee Stars coach Francis Kimanzi further said: “Most important thing is what did we learn from this game? There are many lessons to pick from this game, we were playing against a very experienced side and of course giving out two goals, but the first six minutes we played very well but at some point they started dragging and we were under pressure. We can only build from the game.”
On the penalty that handed Gor Mahia the win, Kamau said: “We needed to defend far away from our zone, we defended on our area and gave away the penalty, it is an issue of whether we have to defend forward players, and I think there was need to freshen up the squad.”
On whether Mathare will keep their status in the top-flight for next season, Kamau responded: “Before we achieve what we want to achieve, there will be some setbacks, the players will need more playing time for them to grow, the new players have a lot of potential.”
“But again we don’t expect everything to start working straight away and start to do wonders, we need to see how we carry ourselves from now on, but at the end of the day, the team will remain in the league, the team will not be relegated.”
The defeat saw the Slum Boys drop to 14th position, two places above the drop zone, with 21 points from 19 outings. They have managed five wins, six draws and suffered eight defeats.
