Gor Mahia suffered a humiliating 3-0 defeat at the hands of record Egyptian champions Al Ahly in their CAF Champions League second preliminary round first-leg match played at Nyayo National Stadium on Sunday.
K’Ogalo were second-best throughout the match which ended with their opponents placing one foot in the group stages and moving closer to their goal of defending the title.
The two African football giants started the match brightly – launching attacks as they searched for an early goal.
The Red Devils took the lead in the 14th minute courtesy of an easy tap-in by Rami Rabia after goalkeeper Kevin Omondi slipped, gifting the visitors the advantage.
One minute later, they doubled their lead after their opponents lost the ball inside the box, which landed at the feet of South African international Percy Tau who produced a classy finish.
Kevin Omondi had to produce a decent save from Akram Tawifk’s powerful shot in the 20th minute minutes into the encounter.
Gor Mahia nearly got themselves back into the game courtesy of Ghanaian import Enoch Morrison but his shot went straight into the hands of goalkeeper Mohamed El Shennawy.
The blistering pace and contrasting styles of play saw Gor Mahia go up against a direct approach while the North Africans created a mind-blowing number of chances as they searched for a third goal.
In a bid to counter the Red Devils’ threat, K’Ogalo coach Leonardo Neiva made a double change, sending out the rusty Alpha Onyango and Philemon Otieno for Kennedy Ochieng and Paul Ochuoga, respectively.
Gor Mahia took control of the match towards the half-hour mark and they started creating goalscoring opportunities.
Boniface Omondi had a chance to find the back of the net in the closing stages of the first half but his shot went over the bar. Similarly, Rooney Onyango’s dangerous attempt went inches wide.
The second half saw the pace of the game slow to a crawl, which very much suited the North African visitors and caused frustrations to boil over for Gor Mahia.
After a quiet spell in the game, Enock Morrison tried his luck from the edge of the area in the 62nd minute, but the striker fired his effort straight at Mohamed El Shennawy.
The game opened up as Al Ahly pushed for a third goal, prompting Marcell Koller to make tactical changes in the 62nd minute where he brought off El Shahat, Emam, and Marwan in a triple substitution, bringing on Koka, Taher, and Afsha.
The visitors looked dangerous every time they pushed forward and extended their lead in the 73rd minute following another mistake by Leo Neiva’s men at the back, allowing Tau to secure his brace.
Five minutes later, Yasser Ibrahim squandered a great chance to put the scoreline out of Gor Mahia’s reach as the Egyptian international headed wide from close range.
Gor Mahia were creating chances in the closing stages, applying sustained pressure on Al Ahly, with Odhiambo summing up their night in stoppage time as he narrowly missed the target by a whisker.
