Kenya Police assistant coach Anthony ‘Modo’ Kimani’s insistence on the words “cutting edge” in his post-match remarks might have summed up what his side lacked in a pivotal CAF Confederation Cup first preliminary round tie at home on Sunday.Playing in their first continental assignment, Kenya Police left a host of home fans at Nyayo Stadium dissatisfied, as they failed to take advantage of a favorable atmosphere to settle for a barren draw against Ethiopia’s Coffee.CAF CCQ: Kenya Police draw blanks in first leg encounter with CoffeeThe result means that Police will have to win on the road, to advance to the second preliminary stage, where defending champions Zamalek lay in wait.And though carrying the hopes of his side “making amends” in the return leg scheduled for Sunday 25 August at the Abebe Bikila Stadium, Kimani, who only joined the team on Friday, still felt as if more would have been done in the first-leg.“I think we created enough opportunities to atleast give us a win, especially given the fact that we were playing at home,” Kimani, technically the head coach for Police in CAF matches due to his CAF A license said.##NAJAVA_MECA_8275758##“We were just not able to utilize our chances, but I am pretty sure we will rectify our mistakes as we still have another ninety minutes to go.”True to his words, the hosts stacked the stat-list in terms of chance creation, but rarely put visiting keeper Dawit Teka under any pressure.The best chance of the game fell to Ugandan forward Alfred Leku in the second half, but he took an extra touch inside the box when he shouldn’t have, opening the door for a block from the opposition.Who is this Alfred Leku guy? Ey— Meshack Kisenge (@kisengemeshack1) August 18, 2024 Minutes later, his header from a fancy position trickled wide, causing angst from the crowd, who had also seen attempts from Eric Zakayo and Tyson Otieno go over in the first half.Speaking of the general performance, Kimani said: “I believe we played well, dominated the ball, but just lacked the cutting edge.“There were lots of opportunities we could have used, but somehow lacked the required calmness and composure to stick the ball into the net.”Bullets miss maximum points against Yei in CECAFA openerOn the dozen missed chances, Kimani felt that the plays “were a bit rushed and clumsy”, but hoped a deep dive into the film room would provide much insight on what adjustments are necessary next weekend.“I have inherited a very good team, and the zeal and desire they had to win today’s game was impressive,” he added.
