The record Kenyan champions qualified for the second round of the inter-club competition following a 5-2 aggregate win against El Merreikh Bentiu of South Sudan. K’Ogalo had lost the first leg 1-0 in Juba but they returned home to win 5-1 and reach the next stage.
Despite El Merreikh taking an early lead courtesy of Samuel Akinbinu in the return leg fixture at Nyayo Stadium, Gor Mahia under Brazilian coach Leonardo Martins Neiva (47) pulled a superb comeback with goals from Chris Ochieng, Alpha Onyango, Alphonse Omija and Rooney Onyango, who grabbed a brace.
Gor Mahia will now face Al Ahly, who received a bye to the second round. The Egyptian giants won a record 12th Champions League title last season after beating Tunisian side Esperance 1-0 on aggregate in the final.
After a 0-0 draw in the first leg of the final, Al Ahly triumphed 1-0 courtesy of an own goal from Roger Aholou to become the only the third team to win the Champions League with an unbeaten record, winning nine and drawing five of the 14 qualifying, group and knockout matches.
Gor Mahia must guard against discipline to prevail
According to former K’Ogalo coach Bob Oyugi, discipline will play a huge role if the Kenyan champions stand a chance to eliminate the African champions.
“Self-discipline will be key for Gor Mahia players because most teams especially from North Africa including Al Ahly like to provoke opponents (during game time) and if any team falls to the trick, they end up playing with less players and they (Al Ahly) take advantage of the numerical numbers to beat Gor Mahia,” Oyugi told Flashscore.
“Gor Mahia must stay calm, they must avoid unnecessary reactions that could lead to a red card, such matches it is better you finish with eleven men against eleven and not less, any blunder will give Al Ahly the advantage and it will be the end of the road for Gor Mahia in the tournament.
“Playing 11 against 11 gives every team a chance (to win any given game) but immediately you are provoked to react foolishly and get one or even two of your players sent off in the process, you opt for a defensive game and it gives your opponents the best chance to finish you.”
Al Ahly have won the Champions League trophy in 1982, 1987, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2012, 2013, 2020, 2021, 2023 and 2024. Their closest rivals are a long way behind, and between them, they have not won as many trophies as the Egyptians. Zamalek have five (1984, 1986, 1993, 1996 and 2002), the same as Congolese side TP Mazembe (1967, 1968, 2009, 2010 and 2015).
“It is obvious Al Ahly are the favourites if you look at the stats between the two teams and the competition records but nowadays in football (the favourite tag) never counts, it is upon Gor Mahia to prepare well for the game, they should not head into the fixture with fear, they should play knowing they have a chance to win the game,” added Oyugi, who guided Gor Mahia to the FKF Premier League title in 1993.
Oyugi remained adamant Gor Mahia can still manage to beat Al Ahly home and away with good planning. “Gor Mahia can beat Al Ahly both in Kenya and away with proper planning, and motivation of the players should be another key factor to help them succeed in the journey.”
Kenyan teams have always struggled against Egyptian opponents whenever they are paired together in the CAF competitions, with only Sofapaka having managed to eliminate Ismailia from the Confederation Cup in 2011. Having gone down 2-0 in the first leg tie in Egypt, Sofapaka then under coach Ezekiel Akwana, mounted a comeback to upset their visitors with a 4-0 win in Nairobi.
Having watched Gor Mahia’s comeback win against El Merreikh, Oyugi believes K’Ogalo must, however, work hard to improve on their tactics.
“First allow me to congratulate them (Gor Mahia) for the big result, the Sudanese team is just at the beginning of a long and challenging journey but Gor Mahia players need to work harder on tactics,” explained Oyugi.
“Gor Mahia need to be more homogeneous to meet strong teams in Africa, the club should keep their players intact.”
Gor Mahia will host the Red Devils in the first leg on September 13th before the two sides face off in the return leg on September 20th in Cairo.
Uncertainty surrounds venue for first leg clash
With only two weeks before the teams face off, Gor Mahia are yet to confirm the venue for the first-leg fixture. According to FKF President Nick Mwendwa, Nyayo Stadium which hosted K’Ogalo’s game against El Merreikh will not be available as it will be closed by the government for renovation.
Nyayo is among the venues shortlisted by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to co-host the African Nations Championships (CHAN) and the 2027 AFCON.
“Nyayo will not be available for the Gor Mahia game,” Mwendwa told Flashscore when queried where the Kenyan giants will host their visitors.
However, when reached for comment, Gor Mahia CEO Raymond Oruo told Flashscore they had already written to the Kenyan government seeking to use Nyayo for the match alongside Kenya Police, who qualified for the Confederation Cup, and will face Zamalek in the second round.
“We have written a joint letter, Gor and Police and we hope the government will allow us to use Nyayo, just for the game before they close it for renovation,” Oruo told Flashscore. “We only need the venue for only two days, so I don’t think the government will deny us the opportunity to host our matches in the venue.
“Furthermore, we have further engaged CS Sports on the matter, so we are waiting but I don’t think we will be forced to play outside the country.”
Asked if they had a plan B if the government turned down their request, Oruo said: “We will have to take the game to Tanzania at Azam Complex, it is an option we are looking at but I don’t think the government will turn down our request.
“We may further be forced to play the home and away matches in Cairo if Nyayo is not available, this will help in cutting on costs, it is another option we are thinking about but first things first, we are hopeful of getting Nyayo for use.”
The last time Gor Mahia played against an Egyptian side was in 2019 during the group stage of the Confederation Cup when they beat Zamalek 4-2 in Nairobi before losing the return leg 4-0 away in Cairo.
