Part of the action between Nairobi United and Bandari/DOUGLAS OKIDI

Nairobi United coach Patrick Aussems has blamed poor officiating for his team’s failure to secure their first win of the 2026/27 SportPesa League season after a 1-1 draw with Bandari at Police Sacco Stadium on Sunday.

The result extended Nairobi United’s winless run to five matches, with the side registering four draws and one defeat.

Aussems was left frustrated by the officiating, insisting his charges deserved more from the encounter.

“We deserved more from this match. The players worked hard and created chances, but some decisions by the referee were disappointing,” said the Belgian.

However, he admitted that his team must also take responsibility for failing to convert another opportunity into maximum points.

“It is difficult to accept this result because we had a chance to win. We must look at our own mistakes, but the officiating also affected the game,” he added.

Bandari got off to a flying start when former AFC Leopards midfielder Said Tsuma headed home inside the opening minute.

The dockers, however, suffered an early setback when goalkeeper Allaine Ngeleka picked up an injury in the 10th minute and was replaced by Joseph Ochuka.

Nairobi United capitalised on their growing momentum to restore parity in the 30th minute through Mark Kithome, who completed a well-worked move.

Aussems was pleased with his players’ response after conceding early but felt they lacked the cutting edge to claim victory.

“The players reacted well after conceding an early goal. We controlled parts of the game and scored a good goal, but we needed to be better in front of goal,” he said.

Both sides pushed for a winner after the break but failed to find the net.

Bandari coach Charles Okere was satisfied with earning a point away from home but admitted his team had missed an opportunity to collect maximum points.

“We are happy to get a point away from home, but we came here to win. We started well and scored early, but we failed to hold on to our lead,” said Okere.

He also praised his players for staying organised despite losing Ngeleka early in the match.

“Losing our goalkeeper so early was not easy. We had to make changes, but the players responded well and remained organised,” he said.

Okere challenged his forwards to improve their finishing, insisting his side must be more clinical in front of goal.

“We had opportunities to win the match, but our finishing let us down. We must work on this in training because creating chances is not enough if we cannot score,” he added.

The draw leaves both teams on four points after five matches, with Nairobi United occupying 12th place. Bandari are 13th. Both sides have registered four draws and one defeat.

Aussems urged his players to turn their performances into victories, warning that they cannot afford to keep dropping points.

“We cannot continue dropping points. We have a good team, and we must start turning these performances into wins. Our supporters deserve better results,” he said.

Okere echoed similar sentiments, challenging his players to start delivering victories as they pursue their season targets.

“We cannot be satisfied with draws. We must work harder and start winning matches if we want to achieve our targets this season,” he said.