- Gor Mahia’s schoolboy defending and careless goalkeeping were on full display at Nyayo Stadium as Kenya’s premier football team suffered a 3-0 defeat to Egypt’s Al Ahly SC.
- South African forward Percy Muzi Tau scored an impressive brace to lead the Egyptian Red Devils to a comfortable 3-0 victory in the first round of CAF Champions League qualification.
- K’Ogalo suffered a resounding defeat despite the usual warm atmosphere from the club’s fanbase.
Egypt’s Al Ahly Sink Gor Mahia on Home Soil
Egyptian Premier League champions Al Ahly return to Cairo after a highly successful trip to Kenya.
Al Ahly punished horrendous mistakes by the Green Army to secure an important win on the road to the 2024/25 CAF Champions League.
Boniface Omondi was dispossessed near the area in the lead-up to a sloppy defensive sequence by Gor Mahia.
Al Ahly’s Rami Rabia capitalized on the confusion and scored his team’s first goal with an easy tap-in after Gor Mahia’s goalkeeper’s dreadful stretch for the ball.
South African forward player Percy Tau followed up with two more goals, further exposing Gor Mahia’s soft underbelly in defense.
The second goal came from another rookie mistake on the other wing, shortly after the restart. As Gor played out from the back, defender Kenedy Vidic Onyango gifted the ball to Striker Percy Muzi Tau in a faulty back pass.
Tau ponced, rounded the keeper before tucking the ball into the net.
Gor remained on the back foot across large stretches of the game despite sporadic goalscoring opportunities that were agonizingly not converted.
Tau scored the third in the 73rd minute, putting the game out of sight for K’Ogalo. The extensive catalog of defensive errors massively cost Gor Mahia in front of the home fans.
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Senator Sifuna, FKF Presidential Hopeful Hussein Mohammed Witness Gor’s Shocking Display
Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna and FKF presidential frontrunner Hussein Mohammed watched from the stands as Gor Mahia committed one blunder after another.
The teams also played on a dilapidated pitch that had been out of use for years due to renovations.
The football pitch was dotted with bare patches of sparse or dead grass, and the lack of proper maintenance was evident throughout the stadium.
Nyayo’s sorry state explains Kenya’s dismal showing in matters of sport. With less than three years to the much anticipated Africa Cup of Nations 2027 extravaganza, the country still lacks CAF-approved stadiums.
Kenya’s top two stadiums Moi International Sports Center Kasarani and Nyayo Stadiums were recently removed from the list of pre-approved stadiums to host qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
This puts East Africa’s Pamoja Bid to host the July 2027 AFCON tournament under serious jeopardy. As it stands, only Benjamin Mkapa National Stadium in Tanzania has been certified by CAF.
Kenya and Uganda still scramble to attain the all-important stamp of approval from CAF, as the Harambee Stars national team is forced to play home matches out of the country.
As Mohammed eyes the FKF presidency, his top priorities should be establishing robust footballing structures and advancing the country’s football as it recovers from a recently lifted FIFA ban.
Gor Mahia will again face Al Ahly on September 21st for the second leg, with the tough task of reversing Nyayo Stadium’s awful display.
