Record Kenya champions Gor Mahia continued with their resurgence after scoring two late goals to defeat Mara Sugar 2-0 on Saturday afternoon at the Raila Odinga Stadium in Homa Bay.
K’Ogalo’s mercurial midfielder Austin Odhiambo returned to the score sheet, breaking the deadlock in the 86th minute before Gideon Bendeka, who came on as a substitute, sealed the win with a goal in the 90th minute.
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Odhiambo’s and Bendeka’s goal helped secure K’Ogalo’s second consecutive win, following their 2-0 victory over Kakamega Homeboyz in a midweek match. The victory also saw Gor Mahia end a run of two consecutive away league defeats after falling to Bandari and Nairobi City Stars in the previous travels.
The win puts Zedekiah Otieno’s side in 5th place with 14 points and, with two games in hand, the defending champions have chance of climbing nearer to the top of the league table.
On the other hand, George Midenyo’s side saw their winless streak stretch to four matches. The result has seen them sliding from second place to third place, where they currently lie with 16 points.
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The first half was a cagey affair, with Gor Mahia piling pressure on the hosts. Austin Odhiambo had the best chance to put his team ahead in the 42nd minute, but his shot went wide, and the first half ended in a 0-0 stalemate.
In the second half, Midenyo made changes to his squad in the 56th minute, bringing on Brian Ochieng for Samuel Adaro to contain Gor Mahia’s pressure, but the score remained unchanged.
Gor Mahia’s coach, Zedekiah Otieno, also made substitutions in the 63rd minute, bringing on Gedeon Bendeka and Musa Masika for Chris Ochieng and Boniface Omondi to intensify their attack.
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However, these changes didn’t yield immediate results, so Otieno made further adjustments in the 85th minute, replacing Alphonce Omija and Sharrif Otieno with Joshua Onyango and Rodgers Ouma.
This tactical change paid off just a minute later. Rooney Onyango showcased brilliant footwork, delivering a cross into the box where Austin Odhiambo was perfectly positioned to score with a header, giving Gor Mahia the lead.
As Gor Mahia were still celebrating their first goal, Gedeon Bendeka sealed the victory with a second goal in the 93rd minute.
Samuel Kapen delivered a brilliant pass from the left wing, and after a misstep by Felix Odoyo, Kapen intercepted the ball and quickly passed it to Austin Odhiambo, who set up Bendeka for a second consecutive match .
Elsewhere, Talanta FC were held to a goalless draw by Posta Rangers at Kenyatta Stadium in Machakos, while league leaders KCB also drew 0-0 with Bidco United at the SportPesa Arena in Murang’a.
In another match, Bandari FC narrowly defeated Nairobi City Stars 1-0, with Michael Apudo scoring in the third minute to secure the three points and propel Bandari into second place on the log with 19 points after 10 matches.
FKF PL Saturday Results
• Mara Sugar 0-2 Gor Mahia
• KCB 0-0 Bidco United
• Talanta FC 0-0 Posta Rangers
• Nairobi City Stars 0-1 Bandari FC
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