Fred Ambani Blames AFC Leopards' Lacklusture Draw With Murang'a Seal on Untimely Injury to Key Player

AFC Leopards head coach Fred Ambani has voiced his frustration after his side was held to a 0-0 draw by Murang’a SEAL in a SportPesa Premier League clash at Nyayo National Stadium on Sunday — the club’s fourth stalemate of the season.

Ingwe, who were hoping to bounce back from their 2-0 defeat to Mara Sugar, missed the chance to climb to second place on the table after another blunt attacking display. 

Ambani admitted the performance fell below expectations, noting that his team failed to impose their usual identity on the match.

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“We gave them a lot of time on the ball, and when you allow that, you end up chasing them, which makes it difficult for us to play how we want,” the coach said to Azam TV afterwards.

 “We did not play how we wanted. The midfield and attack were not good enough, but I must congratulate the backline for the clean sheet.”

Ambani revealed that the team’s game plan was disrupted early after forward Elias Mugane, who has played a key role for Leopards in recent games,  picked up an injury, forcing a reshuffle that affected their attacking coherence. 

Samuel Ssenyonjo returned to the starting lineup to lead the line, supported by wingers Hassan Beja and James Kinyanjui. 

At halftime, Ambani introduced Christopher Koloti and Ronald Sichenje for Ssenyonjo and Beja in an attempt to inject more energy into the final third.

However, despite the changes, Leopards struggled to trouble Murang’a SEAL’s backline.

“Elias Mugane got injured, which affected how we planned to play today, and as a result, we struggled to create inroads,” Ambani said. 

“I think everything didn’t go according to plan because they didn’t follow what we had told them to do, and that’s why today it didn’t totally work out.”

The coach also lamented his players' inability to keep possession, a factor he believes contributed heavily to the underwhelming showing.

With pressure beginning to mount after a slow start to the campaign, AFC Leopards will now look to regroup and correct their attacking deficiencies before their next league assignment.

They sit third on 16 points after eight games played.