John Kamau Explains Why He Is Pleased With Mathare United's Performance Despite 2-0 Loss to Gor Mahia

Mathare United coach John Kamau has praised his players’ effort despite their 2-0 defeat to Gor Mahia in Thursday evening’s FKF Premier League clash at the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani.

Goals from Shariff Musa and Bryson Wangai sealed the win for Gor Mahia, who continued their dominant run of form.

Since their 1-0 loss to Bidco United, the defending champions have remained unbeaten, recording victories over Sofapaka (2-0), KCB (1-0), Posta Rangers (3-0), and now Mathare United.

For Mathare, the match came just days after their hard-fought 1-0 win over Shabana at the Gusii Stadium in Kisii, a result that had boosted their confidence ahead of the Kasarani fixture.

However, despite their determination and solid performance, the outcome did not go as they had planned.

John Kamau reflected on his team’s 2-0 defeat to Gor Mahia with a mix of satisfaction and disappointment.

The Mathare United coach said that while he was pleased with his players’ overall performance, the result itself was far from what he had hoped for.

Kamau noted that the team’s preparation had been affected by their recent travel from Kisii, as they had only managed one training session before the match.

The trip, combined with the demanding game they had played at Gusii stadium against Shabana, had taken a toll on the players, forcing the technical bench to make tactical adjustments to ease the workload.

He explained that the opening half posed particular challenges, especially with Gor Mahia’s Shariff Musa causing problems on the flank.

“I think first of all, in terms of performance-wise, I think I'm happy with the boys, but result-wise, I'm not happy. The first half, I think it was very clear because you can see we were travelling from Kisii,” he said after the match.

“We’ve just had one session with the boys, and I think the trip itself, then the game at Gusii, was a tough one. We had to come up with a solution to at least try and make it a little bit simpler for the players, because I mean, they really fought in the previous match.

“Then, in the first half, we had some problems with Shariff because I think he was dominating in the duel with my wing back, and it was very clear that we tried to assist our wing backs to play closer to the wingers.”

John Kamau admitted that Mathare United’s early mistake leading to the first goal was particularly frustrating, especially since it was an issue the team had just addressed in the dressing room.

He noted that his players had created two clear scoring opportunities in the opening half but failed to convert them, something he felt proved costly against a more experienced Gor Mahia side.

John Kamau explained that in football, missed chances often lead to punishment, and this match was no exception.

After conceding, he and his technical team were forced to adjust their tactics in the second half, focusing on disrupting Gor Mahia’s buildup play.

He added that the players worked hard to press higher up the pitch and make life difficult for their opponents, though the missed chances ultimately defined the outcome.

“I think it's something that we need to work on because in the second half, we had to adjust after conceding the first goal,” he added.

“We had to try and make sure that we made their life miserable here during their buildup, and I think we tried to pressurise so much in their own half.”

Mathare United face AFC Leopards in their next clash on Sunday, November 2, with all eyes fixed on bouncing back.