Head coach Charles Akonnor has admitted that his side paid dearly for costly mistakes in their 2-0 CAF Champions League preliminary-round defeat to Egyptian champions Pyramids FC at Nyayo Stadium on Sunday.

K’Ogalo started the contest positively but were punished inside the opening five minutes when Walid El Karti reacted quickest after Byrne Omondi had spilled a Mostafa Fathi effort before Pyramids doubled their advantage just before half-time through Mahmoud Saber.

Despite the disappointing result, Akonnor praised his players for their determination and fighting spirit, particularly in the second half when Gor pushed for a way back into the match.

“We had our chances but did, in the first half there was a little lack of concentration that made us concede so early but in the second half we did better the boys really tried to fight back, we attacked quite well.”

Akonnor further acknowledged the match as a disappointing one not only to the players but also to the fans as he remained optimistic and termed the defeat as a learning moment to ensure improvement in the upcoming fixture.

“We tried our best but it was not enough, we created some few chances but we were unlucky, we have disappointed our fans but there are a lot of positive lessons to pick from the game as we look forward to the next match.”

With the result going in favor of Pyramids, the 22 times Kenya Premier League champions will now seek to change tactic to overturn the result in the return leg scheduled for 13th September 2026 in Cairo.

For Akonnor, however, the performance offered positives to build on.