Tuju back to drawing board after 'heavy taxation' by Ghana Revenue Authority – Capital Sports
NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 16 – After suffering their first loss at the Africa Cup of Club Championships, Lakers coach Austin Tuju says he will study their opponents keenly to prepare a foolproof game plan to clinch the continental title.
The Kisumu-based side were thrashed 4-1 by Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA)Ladies at City Park on Thursday afternoon and Tuju believes their opponents had studied them too well pre-match.
“They have a match tomorrow so we will wait and see how they perform. We have to win our next matches son Saturday and Sunday. We played yesterday and won and I think their technical bench used that chance to study us as much as possible,” Tuju said.
He added: “The team that is going to win this tournament is one that is able to carefully study their opponents and identify their weaknesses and that’s what we intend to do.”
Lakers began the game on a ferocious note, taking the lead in the sixth minute through Eusyla Cherotich after a period of sustained pressure.
However, their fire went out immediately as the Ghanaians took full control of the match , equalising in the 10th minute via Elizabeth Opoku.
It was all Ghana from that point henceforth as the tax collectors ensured maximum points through further goals from Vivian Narkour (16th and 58th minute) and Mercy Ackon (47th minute).
The Kenyans seemed to struggle to stymie the attacks of their opponents as their own offensive arsenal became blunt.
Tuju bemoaned the loss of confidence by the girls, noting that their approach to the match was markedly different from Wednesday where they were a wounded lion against Army Ladies of Ghana.
“We have to encourage them to have confidence and scan the ground before they make a pass. We realised that most of the passes we were making ended up with the opponents and not into space. So we have to remind them not to overlook such critical aspects,” he said.
The coach also admitted that the team’s off-field challenges were playing on the players’ minds during the game.
“Being debutants in the championships and having all these financial issues has certainly affected the girls. After our win yesterday, they were reassured and confident that they could win this tournament but this time it was the opposite,” Tuju said.
Nonetheless, Tuju is bullish about the side’s chances of landing the top gong.
“It’s a tough tournament but despite that and today’s loss, I still believe we can win it. We only have to win our next game on Saturday and then we will know whether we are in contention or not,” he said of the tournament, which is being held in a league format.
Lakers’ next match is on Saturday against fellow Kenyans, Strathmore University Scorpions at the same venue.
The students drew 1-1 with Army Ladies of Ghana in an earlier match at the same venue.
Salomey Forson put the military side in the lead in the 48th minute before Diana Awino restored parity for the Kenyan champions in the 59th minute.
