Gor Mahia claimed a record 20th league title following a 4-1 crush against Nairobi City Stars in an entertaining match played at Moy Sports Center Kasarani.
Benson Omala and Peter Lwasa were the heroes for K’Ogalo as they calmed the nerves of their fans in the second half after a barren draw in the opening 45 minutes.
With Tusker leading 2-0 away to Vihiga Bullets and briefly taking command of the table on the final day, Gor fans were fearing for the worst after Jonathan McKinstry’s men fluffed their lines in the opening half and failed to trouble their hosts.
Lwasa drew a good save from City Stars goalkeeper Steve Njuge after a swift counter-attacking move in the 17th minute as Gor made inroads into their opponents’ box before being thwarted a number of times.
Austin Odhiambo’s long-range shot was not able to trouble Njuge as a nervous Gor struggled to play their usual free-flowing game with the scores remaining goalless at the break.
Philemon Otieno then came close just after restarting for Gor but K’Ogalo found themselves trailing four minutes later when poor communication among their defenders saw Samuel Kaden rob goalkeeper Gad Mathews before effortlessly slotting into an empty net to send the stadium quiet.
However, Gor Mahia responded instantly when Omala ended his six-game goal drought, netting his 26th of the season, and his side’s equaliser.
Omala’s goal saw him move one goal behind Kenya Police’s Elvis Rupia on the top scorer’s chart, subsequently equaling Gor legend Maurice ‘Sonyi’ Ochieng’s 47-year record.
The goal woke up the beast in K’Ogalo and they were celebrating a second one 12 minutes later when Lwasa scored a brilliant goal on his left foot following a good move from Gor. The forward showed good technique to curl in a left-footed stunner in the top left corner.
Austin Odhiambo then put the result beyond doubt with a brilliant freekick on the edge of the box which Njuge could do nothing to keep out before Alpha Onyango made it 4-1 in stoppage time.
The win sees Gor reclaim the title from Tusker FC, winning it by just one point, with the brewers missing out on the final day, having won the last two in a row.
