Leopards claw Gor Mahia in high stakes Mashemeji derby

Forward Julius Masaba’s first-half strike was all AFC Leopards needed to humble their bitter-rivals Gor Mahia 1-0, and claim the bragging rights in the 98th Mashemeji derby on Sunday at Nyayo National Stadium.

Ingwe’s victory in the well-attended match was deserved as they were the better side in the match.

Masaba's 25th minute goal earned Leopards a sweet victory and saw the team returning to winning ways. 

The win also means that Leopards coach Fred Ambani has maintained his unbeaten record in the derby.  

While turning out for Ingwe between 1997 and 2001, Ambani never lost to Gor Mahia. Last season he guided the team to a 1-1 and 0-0 draws against K’Ogalo.

Following the victory, Leopards are now sixth on the table with 17 points. For Gor Mahia, the loss compounded their woes, coming just after their 4-1 shock loss to league newcomers APS Bomet. 

Read: Why passionate AFC Leopards fans are making statements at stadium terraces 

K’Ogalo also missed the chance to reclaim top spot in the 18-team league. The team remains second with 19 points from 10 matches, one point behind reigning champions Kenya Police who have played the same number of matches.

The Mashemeji derby was one fixture that Gor’s former patron, the late Raila Odinga rarely missed.

And this being the first derby since Mr Odinga’s demise on October 15, Gor players continued to honour him - stepping on to the pitch with t-shirts emblazoned with the former Prime Minister’s image.

Before kickoff, a minute of silence was also observed in honour of the late politician.

When action got under way, Leopards took the lead in the 25th minute when Masaba scored from a rebound after goalkeeper Byrne Odhiambo parried Tyson Otieno’s effort. 

Early scoring chances

Ingwe’s goal was well-deserved as up to that moment, they had been the brighter side.

In the opening exchanges, Masaba should have fired Leopards ahead in the second minute but he delayed in pulling the trigger after weaving his way into K’Ogalo’s box. 

Gor’s left-back Bryton Onyona had interrupted Masaba in his runs, giving goalkeeper Omondi the chance to dash out and gather the ball - much to the frustration of the enthusiastic Ingwe fans who groaned at the wasted opportunity.

Five minutes later, Ingwe threatened yet again when Tyson Otieno picked out James Kinyanjui on the left wing with a superb pass but none of the blue shirts in Gor’s box connected to his dangerous cross. 

Impressed by their team’s effort, chants of “Ingwe! Ingwe!” rent the air as their fans raised their hands and bowed their heads in unison.

Gor’s first impressive forward move of the match came in the seventh minute when Shariff Musa sprinted down the left channel but his cross into the box was timely cleared.

Read: Firecrackers, smoke bomb: Gor fans keeping Raila Odinga memory alive

In the 19th minute, Gor’s Ebenezer Adu-Kwaw found captain Austine Odhiambo at the heart of Ingwe’s box but the midfielder was let down by his first touch, allowing the visitors to clear the danger. 

Moments later, Gor mounted another attack with Musa seeing his powerful shot blocked. 

But it was Leopards’ hard work that paid off soon after when Masaba slot home into an empty net, sending Ingwe’s fans into wild celebrations. 

Gor were lucky not to concede the second goal during the added minutes of the first-half with Leopards’ captain Victor Omune’s header narrowly missed the target.

The second-half started strongly with both sides curving out early scoring chances. 

Gor came close as Odhiambo planted his shot over the crossbar after he was picked out by Shariff Musa. 

Moments later, on the other end, Musa Oundo did well to block a goal-bound ball.

In what was Gor’s first test for Leopards goalkeeper Humprey Katasi in the match, Shariff Musa directed his close-range shot to the waiting hands of the shot-stopper after Odhiambo picked him out with a clever pass. 

Gor then made the first change of the match with Alpha Onyango coming in for Fidel Otieno. 

Ingwe responded in 57th minute with the introduction of Emmanuel Lwangu and Brian Wanyama for Brian Ojok and Tyson Otieno respectively.  

As the clock ticked, Gor Mahia kept pushing hard for an equalizer. On the terraces, Ingwe’s fans cheered loudly at every save Katasi made.

And when the referee blew the final whistle, a sea of blue erupted in ecstasy.