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10-Man Gor Mahia edge Al Hilal on penalties to storm CECAFA final
Gor Mahia Ebenezer Assifuah (left) celebrates his goal with teammate Ebenezer Adukwaw against Murang'a Seal during FKF Sportpesa league match played on January 14, 2026 at Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani.
Gor Mahia booked a place in the final of the 2026 CECAFA Kagame Cup on Tuesday by beating Sudan's Al Hilal Omdurman 8–7 on penalties, after a thrilling 1–1 draw at the Kigali Pele Stadium following extra time.
The Kenyan champions took the lead with an own goal, but Ansumana Samura equalised for Al Hilal late in the first half.
The closely contested semi-final remained deadlocked throughout regulation and extra time, forcing the match to be decided by a penalty shootout. K'Ogalo held their nerve to secure a memorable victory.
Gor Mahia's task became even more challenging when midfielder Jackson Dwang was sent off at the end of normal time, leaving coach Charles Akonnor's team to play the full 30 minutes of extra time with only ten players.
This victory takes Gor Mahia, also known as K'Ogalo Nyamrithi, to their first CECAFA Kagame Cup final since 2015, when they lost 2–0 to Tanzania's Azam FC.
K'Ogalo will also have the opportunity to end their 41-year wait for the regional title, having last lifted the trophy in 1985. Their previous triumphs came in 1980, 1981 and 1985.
The second semi-final, scheduled for Tuesday night, between South Sudan's Jamus Sports Club and Rwanda's Rayon Sports, will determine Gor Mahia's opponents in Friday's final.
Gor Mahia dominated large parts of the first half and could have won the match before half-time had they been more clinical in front of goal.
However, they lost control of the midfield in the second half, allowing their opponents to dominate and survive dangerous goal-scoring opportunities.
The win was all the more impressive given Al Hilal's pedigree on the continental stage. The Sudanese giants are regular participants in the CAF Champions League and have reached the quarter-finals in each of the last two editions.
They have also qualified for the group stage in every campaign from 2018–19 to 2023–24.
Gor Mahia reached the semi-finals after a commanding 5-0 victory over Rwanda's APR FC in their opening match, but then suffered a 1-0 defeat to Uganda's Vipers SC. They bounced back to secure a place in the last four with a 1-0 win over Djibouti's Garde Republicaine FC in their final group match.
The tournament will conclude on Friday with the final and third-place play-off at Amahoro Stadium in Kigali.
The winners will receive $30,000 (Sh3.8 million), while the runners-up and third-placed teams will earn $20,000 (Sh2.5 million) and $10,000 (Sh1.2 million), respectively.
However, Gor Mahia will be without key players in the final: Samuel Kapen, forward Patrick Essombe and captain Sylvester Owino have all been ruled out of the rest of the tournament due to injury.
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