Kenyan champions Gor Mahia have taken a significant step towards securing their fourth Cecafa Club Cup title by advancing to the semi-finals of this year’s tournament in Kigali, Rwanda.
K’Ogalo secured a place in the penultimate round of the tournament by topping Group A with six points.
This followed their 1–0 win over Djibouti’s Garde Républicaine FC at the Kigali Pele Stadium on Thursday night, with striker Paul Okoth scoring the match winning goal in the third minute.
Only the top team from each of the three groups and the best-ranked runners-up progress to the semi-finals.
Gor Mahia’s progress is good news for Kenya, especially after the country’s only other representative in the tournament, Tusker, saw their hopes of qualifying dashed on Wednesday following a 1–0 loss to Rwandan side Rayon Sports FC at the same venue.
Having already lost their opening match 2–0 to Sudan’s Al Hilal Sports Club, Tusker have no chance of topping Group C or qualifying as the group’s best-ranked runner-up.
Gor’s previous triumphs in the Cecafa Club Cup came in 1980, 1981 and 1985. K’Ogalo have not consistently participated in the annual event, and their best recent performance was in 2015, when they lost 2–0 to Tanzania’s Azam FC in the final in Dar es Salaam.
Knowing that their semi-final qualification was at stake, as they were placed second in the group behind Vipers Sports Club of Uganda, Gor coach Charles Akonnor fielded a strong side in their final group match against Garde Republicaine.
Goalkeeper Byrne Omondi returned to the team, as did defenders Daniel Sakari and Alpha Onyango, midfielders Enock Machaka and Patrick Esombe, and forwards Sharif Musa and Okoth. These six players did not start in Gor Mahia’s second match against Vipers, which they lost 1–0.
K’Ogalo got their tournament campaign off to a flying start by hammering Rwandan side Armée Patriotique Rwandaise Football Club (APR FC) 5-0.
Gor’s progress to the semi-finals was boosted by Vipers’ 2-1 loss to APR FC of Rwanda on Thursday evening.
Although both Vipers and APR FC garnered six points, they finished below K’Ogalo due to their inferior goal difference.
In the semi-finals, scheduled for Tuesday, Gor Mahia will face the team that finishes as the best runner-up in the groups.
Tusker will play their final group match on Saturday against Kikosi Cha Valantia Zanzibar (KVZ) of Zanzibar at the Kigali Pele Stadium.
Despite being disappointed by his team’s losses in their previous two matches, Tusker’s coach Julien Mette said the tournament has served as good preparation for their CAF Confederation Cup campaign.
“It’s difficult to say we’re happy, but looking to the future. I know this was the type of game we needed in pre-season to get us ready for the reality of the CAF Confederation Cup, which is our main target,” said Mette.
“We have to finish well. We have to beat KVZ FC because we need to end the tournament on a high,” he added.
The tournament winner will receive $30,000 (Sh3.8 million). The teams that finish second and third will receive $20,000 (Sh2.5 million) and $10,000 (Sh1.2 million) respectively.
