Gor Mahia booked the first 2018 Cecafa Kagame Cup semi-final slot with a well worked 2-1 come back victory over Vipers of Uganda at the National Stadium – Dar-es-Salaam today.
The Ugandan Premier League champions took the lead 15 minutes into the match courtesy of a beautiful strike from Tadeo Lwanga.
The skipper was set up from yards out and he let go a super strike that dipped past Bonface Oluoch into the net. A beauty of a goal that was a deserved lead after a quarter of an hour long moments of game reading and settling from both teams.
Gor Mahia’s new boy in the squad Francis Mustaffa had the best chance of the opening half to draw terms back on level but his effort sailed just wide.
Vipers may have held onto their lead into the half time break but from the display of the opening session, there was more to the match than the Tadeo Lwanga beauty of a goal.
And true to it, just two minutes into the restart, Jacques Tuyisenge was on target. In the build up to the equalizer, Mustafa set Innocent Wafula running to the right byline and the overlapping right back returned favour with a neat cut back cross which Mustafa fired towards goal and into the path of Tuyisenge who tipped the ball past the Vipers custodian and into the net.
Gor Mahia thought they had their chance to take lead but Mieno’s goal was cancelled by the assistant referee’s raised flag for an offside. But the momentum was building and the goal was to come in the 74th minute.
Wafula set up Tuyisenge inside the box and the striker shielded his marker off the ball and let a shot flying towards the far post. This was saved by the stretching hand of the Vipers custodian but only as far as Mustafa who calmly thumped the rebound into the net to open his Gor Mahia goal account… 2-1, Gor Mahia was in control now.
Vipers too had their chances to try draw terms back on level once again but were not successful.
Former Gor Mahia talisman Dan Sserunkuma rose in the box to connect a header wide and a second attempt come from many yards out with Oluoch off his line but this time the ball sailed over the cross bar.
And with the victory, the Green Army keep marching and back home, the pointers could just be right for the fans to start putting their plans in place for destination Dar-ea Salaam.