Gor Mahia were held 1-1 by KPL league title contenders Kakamega Homeboys in a thrilling entertaining match played at Moi International Sports Center Kasatani this afternoon.
Samuel Onyango scored first in the 52nd minute of the game before Kakamega Homeboys’ forward Michael Karamor equalized minutes after coming off the bench.
The first half was mostly dull, with the center referee Israel Mpaima being the center of attraction after a couple of calls against the home team.
Samuel Onyango opened the scoring for Gor Mahia 10 minutes into the second half after being set up by Benson Omala.
A scrappy missed clearance by Sylvester Owino saw Omala outpace him into the box to square the ball for Onyango who slotted past Stephen Otieno and wheel away in celebration.
Mwalala reacted to the goal by making a double change, bringing in Michael Karamor and Gaetan Masha for Stephen Opoku and Stephen Wakanya slightly past the hour mark.
Gor Mahia were dealt a blow 69 minutes in following the injury of Peter Lwasa, and Spiers brought in John Ochieng in his place. Mwalala took that period to make yet another change as Michael Isabwa came on for David Okoth, a more direct forward to intensify their hunt for an equalizer.
Homeboyz pressure finally paid off with 15 minutes left to play when substitute Michael Karamor stole the ball from Gor Mahia’s defender Joshua Onyango to slot past Gad Matthews for the equalizer.
The equalizer made both teams hungry for the win, increasing the intensity as the two teams launched a series of attacks, Sylvester Owino being forced to a goalline clearance once, and Stephen Otieno being called to action later to deny Omala.
A tense moment ensued when Homeboyz goalkeeper nudged on Joshua Onyango after a corner kick, prompting a few fans to think of invading the pitch but the Gor Mahia steward present did a superb job of keeping them away.
In the dying minutes, Joshua Onyango gave away the ball again, this time to Mudavadi who sprinted down the left side of the attack to cross the ball for Karamor but the goalscorer hit it over the bar when putting it in the net seemed an easier option.