Kenyan representatives Gor Mahia will face a tall order in their quest to eliminate African champions Al Ahly after they suffered a 3-0 defeat against the Egyptian giants in their first leg second round fixture of the CAF Champions League at Nyayo Stadium on Sunday.
Goals from Ramy Rabia in the 14th minute and a brace from South African forward Percy Tau in the 15th and 73rd minutes respectively ensured that the record Champions League winners will head into the return leg in Cairo after a fortnight with a healthy advantage.
Gor Mahia coach Leonardo Martins Neiva opted to start goalkeeper Kevin Omondi between the sticks despite the youngster being a doubt for the game having picked an injury during a training session on Thursday.
K’Ogalo’s defence revolved around captain Philemon Otieno, Kennedy Onyango, Sylvester Owino while Harambe Stars player Alphonse Omija led the midfield assisted by Geoffrey Ochieng, Enock Morrison and Austin Odhiambo.
Rooney Odhiambo played behind strikers Christopher Ochieng’ and Boniface Omondi. It was Al Ahly, who started off on a high speed missing two goals from counter attacks in the sixth and seventh minutes respectively.
However, they were rewarded seven minutes later when Rabia opened the scoring off a cross from the hard working Tau. Before K’Ogalo could reorganise themselves from the setback, the Egyptian champions doubled their lead when the Bafana Bafana forward sneaked past the defenders to put the ball past the stretching hands of Omondi.
Al Ahly went into the half-time break enjoying a 2-0 cushion with Gor Mahia not causing them any trouble. In the second half, the Red Devils continued to dominate despite playing away from home and they almost made it 3-0 when Rabi missed from close range.
Gor Mahia defenders continued to look shaky at the back and Al Ahly should have been 5-0 up by the 58th minute. However, Al Ahly’s pressure for the third goal paid off when Tau finished off using his right foot past Omondi.
K’Ogalo looked to have missed the services of striker Benson Omalla, who left the club at the start of the new season to sign for Lebanon outfit Al-Safa FC. Omalla was K’Ogalo’s top scorer last season and the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Premier League Golden Boot winner with 19 goals.
The defeat leaves Gor Mahia with a massive mountain to climb in the return leg set for Saturday, September 21 at Cairo International Stadium, since Kenyan clubs have always struggled against North Africans teams in recent years.
As it stands, only Sofapaka managed to turn the tables against Egyptian side Ismaily SC during their Confederation Cup fixture in 2020. Having gone down 2-0 in the first leg tie in Egypt, Sofapaka mounted a comeback to upset their visitors with a 4-0 win in Nairobi.
However, Sofapaka’s quest to reach their first ever group stage in the CAF competition was dashed after they lost to another North African side Tunisia’s Club Africain on a 4-3 aggregate result. They lost the first leg 3-0 in Tunisia before losing 3-1 in Nairobi.