Egyptian heavyweights Al Ahly easily brushed aside Gor Mahia 3-0 in a one-sided clash staged at the Nyayo National Stadium on Sunday (15) afternoon.
The record Confederation of African Football (CAF) Champions League winners needed only 14 minutes to hurt the hosts with the easy goal coming courtesy of Rami Rabia, who tapped the ball into the net from close range, after a costly error from Gor Mahia custodian Kevin Omondi, who failed to deal with a tame cross into the area.
K’Ogalo’s situation got worse a few seconds later when a defensive blunder gave experienced South African forward Percy Tau a chance, which he took with both arms, slotting the ball past Omondi to double the team’s lead.
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Al Ahly had a chance to put the game beyond the reach of their opponents five minutes later but this time round Omondi was alert as he made an outstanding save to deny Akram Tawifk, who fired a bullet of a shot.
As the game continued, Gor Mahia had one golden chance which fell to Enoch Morrison, but he failed to make it count, shooting the ball directly to Al Ahly’s keeper.
In a bid to get more control of the match, Gor Mahia head coach Leonardo Neiva made two substitutions, replacing Philemon Otieno and Alpha Onyango with Paul Ochuoga and Kennedy Ochieng in that order.
However, the changes did not bring any considerable change to the match, allowing the visitors to go to the break with a comfortable 2-0 lead.
Gor Mahia vs Al Ahly
The second half started a little slow, with Al Ahly enjoying the majority of possession, something which frustrated Gor Mahia supporters.
It was until the hour mark when Gor Mahia started to look dangerous. They had another chance to find an equalizer, but once again Morrison did not make it count.
K’Ogalo’s resurgence forced Al Ahly’s manager to make three substitutions. The changes paid off as his side went on to score the third goal through Tau, with 17 minutes remaining to the end of the regulation time.
Gor Mahia tried their best to get a consolation goal, but the visitors stood strong, and at the end their solid defense helped them pick up a huge 3-0 win.
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