Gor Mahia’s tour of England culminated in a historic match with Everton at the famed Goodison Park last night.
While Everton won the match 4-0, Gor Mahia made history in being the first African team to play an English Premiership club in England and what an experience it was for the lads.
Everton, fielding a relatively experienced team, raced to a 2-0 lead within the first 20 minutes.
Gor Mahia struggled to break down the Everton defence that had the experienced Phil Jagielka and ex Barcelona man and Colombian international Yerry Mina but squandered an open chance when Mustafa Francis should have pulled one back in the 57th minute.
Gor Mahia made a raft of changes in the second half as Dylan Kerr sought to ensure that all the players got a taste of the action and Everton added two late goals in the final two minutes, courtesy of strikes by Nathan Broadhead and Oumar Niasse.
Gor Mahia missed the physical presence of Jacques Tuyisenge who failed to make the trip but the players generally impressed albeit facing superior talent and experience.
New signing Shafik Batambuze was especially impressive in his first appearance for K’Ogalo and he proves to be a worthy asset for Gor Mahia.
The match, and the tour, in general acted as a perfect platform for Gor Mahia to get their preparations for the coming season on track and it is an experience that the players and the club will savour for a long time.
