Oktay blames misfortunes for Gor CAF Cup loss

Oktay blames misfortunes for Gor CAF Cup loss

Gor Mahia FC head coach Hassan Oktay believes the sequence of unnerving events in the build up to their CAF Confederation Cup clash is to blame for their dispiriting 2-0 loss to RS Berkane.

Gor showed little fight at the Kasarani Stadium yesterday as Berkane seized a huge first leg advantage to leave the Kenyan champions’ Confederation Cup hopes hanging in the balance.

Issoufou Dayo and Bakr El Helali scored in either half of the match as the Moroccans put themselves comfortably in the driving seat and leave Gor with all to do during the return fixture set for next week on Sunday.

Oktay said it was hard to motivate the team that had skipped training in cold protest over unpaid allowances and a squad battling with fatigue from having played five matches in eight days.

“Mentally we lost, physically we lost and we also lost in preparation. As a coach you have to prepare your players tactically and mentally but I couldn’t do it. I waited for the players at Camp Toyoyo but they did not come.

The Turkish coach said he was unable to monitor the players’ diet ahead of the match and added the loss to Berkane in no way meant they were the inferior side as he compared the Moroccans against top teams whom they have managed to overcome thus far.

“This (Berkane) is not Zamalek. They are not Petro (Atletico) but we lost it because we did not have the discipline.”

Gor were also without four key players who were out through suspension. Oktay himself had to watch from the stands as he was also suspended in the previous match against Petro Atletico.

Captain Harun Shakava, Ernest Wendo, Shafiq Batambuze were all unavailable through suspension and while their defensive fragility was clear to see, they also offered little going forward with Dennis Oliech and Francis Mustapha – who started in attack – unable to trouble the visiting defence.

Oktay also appeared to tell his players they had got the timing of their go-slow wrong and that they might never get another chance to make bigger history at the club after they became the first Kenyan club to reach this stage of the competition.

“This is the quarter-final and you don’t get chances like these easily. We overcame Zamalek here and defeated Petro while playing with nine men only to come and strike in this game.

“We’ve achieve fantastic results and we should not suddenly just strike; it makes my job more difficult than it already is. It’s so hard to collect players and motivate them if they are not happy. We have lost 2-0 because of this.”

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Gor Mahia FC CAF Confederation Cup RS Berkane

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