Mavhungu credits tactical shift for Opopo’s ruthless second half
Brian Mavhungu’s half–time shake–up flipped the script at Alex Safe Hub, driving Opopo FC to a ruthless 5–1 win against Loyo Stars.
Opopo FC coach Brian Mavhungu said the 5-1 demolition of Loyo Stars in their Alexandra Northrand Local Football Association league fixture at the Alex Safe Hub was the result of a deliberate second-half tactical shift, after his side had gone into the break too passive for his liking.
Mavhungu felt his players had sat back for much of the first 45 minutes, allowing Loyo Stars’ goalkeeper, Thandaza Mabaso, to keep the scoreline respectable. At the break, he instructed his team to press higher and counter-attack with more purpose, banking on it forcing Loyo Stars into errors.
Read more: Black Poison survive Opopo scare to win 5-3 in their U19 fixture
“When they saw that we are counter-pressing them, they started to slow the ball, and we were expecting that,” Mavhungu said.
The coach added that his side had also set out to push Loyo Stars into playing more long balls, a tactic he believed would favour Opopo FC given their height advantage.
Much of the attacking threat was funnelled through the flanks. Mavhungu said this was rooted in his reading of Loyo Stars’ setup. He explained that his side had identified space out wide rather than through the middle, and adjusted their shape accordingly.
“That’s why you even saw our right-back and left-back starting to overload the wingers because their wingers don’t really drop. I wanted my full-backs to also go and overload the wingers,” he said.
The approach took time to pay off. Loyo Stars held Opopo to a nervy 1-0 in the first half, after Ntsako Mangwani’s strike, and pulled level again briefly in the second half before Opopo started attacking with intensity. Mavhungu pointed to a Loyo Stars own goal as the turning point, after which Yomelelani Sonamzi, Oboletse Maokisa and Kgotso Pule all added their names to the scoresheet in quick succession.
Despite the scoreline, Mavhungu wasn’t entirely satisfied as he felt his side left more goals out on the pitch, undone by a string of offside calls.
Also read: Relentless attacks seal Opopo FC’s commanding win over Loyo Stars
He said he eventually told his attacking players to hold their positions and let the overlapping runs come from deeper.
“I was expecting more from them because we have been working so much on the movements on and off the ball, and even the execution.”
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