Gor Mahia suffered a humiliating 3-0 defeat at the hands of record Egyptian champions Al Ahly in their CAF Champions League second preliminary round first-leg match played at Nyayo National Stadium on Sunday.

K'Ogalo were second-best throughout the match which ended with their opponents placing one foot in the group stages and moving closer to their goal of defending the title.

The two African football giants started the match brightly - launching attacks as they searched for an early goal.

The Red Devils took the lead in the 14th minute courtesy of an easy tap-in by Rami Rabia after goalkeeper Kevin Omondi slipped, gifting the visitors the advantage.

One minute later, they doubled their lead after their opponents lost the ball inside the box, which landed at the feet of South African international Percy Tau who produced a classy finish.

Kevin Omondi had to produce a decent save from Akram Tawifk's powerful shot in the 20th minute minutes into the encounter.

Gor Mahia nearly got themselves back into the game courtesy of Ghanaian import Enoch Morrison but his shot went straight into the hands of goalkeeper Mohamed El Shennawy.

The blistering pace and contrasting styles of play saw Gor Mahia go up against a direct approach while the North Africans created a mind-blowing number of chances as they searched for a third goal.

In a bid to counter the Red Devils' threat, K'Ogalo coach Leonardo Neiva made a double change, sending out the rusty Alpha Onyango and Philemon Otieno for Kennedy Ochieng and Paul Ochuoga, respectively.

Gor Mahia took control of the match towards the half-hour mark and they started creating goalscoring opportunities.

Boniface Omondi had a chance to find the back of the net in the closing stages of the first half but his shot went over the bar. Similarly, Rooney Onyango's dangerous attempt went inches wide.

The second half saw the pace of the game slow to a crawl, which very much suited the North African visitors and caused frustrations to boil over for Gor Mahia.

After a quiet spell in the game, Enock Morrison tried his luck from the edge of the area in the 62nd minute, but the striker fired his effort straight at Mohamed El Shennawy.

The game opened up as Al Ahly pushed for a third goal, prompting Marcell Koller to make tactical changes in the 62nd minute where he brought off El Shahat, Emam, and Marwan in a triple substitution, bringing on Koka, Taher, and Afsha.

The visitors looked dangerous every time they pushed forward and extended their lead in the 73rd minute following another mistake by Leo Neiva's men at the back, allowing Tau to secure his brace.

Five minutes later, Yasser Ibrahim squandered a great chance to put the scoreline out of Gor Mahia's reach as the Egyptian international headed wide from close range.

Gor Mahia were creating chances in the closing stages, applying sustained pressure on Al Ahly, with Odhiambo summing up their night in stoppage time as he narrowly missed the target by a whisker.

How they lined up

Gor Mahia: Kevin Omondi - Philemon Otieno, Geoffrey Ochieng, Alphonce Omija, Kenedy Onyango, Boniface Omondi, Enock Morrison, Sylvester Owino, Rooney Onyango, Christopher Ochieng, Austin Odhiambo

Subs:Joshua Owino, Alpha Chris Onyango, Shariff Sirengo, Rodgers Ouma, Lawrence Ochieng Juma, Caleb Omondi, Samuel Kapen, Joseph Odhiambo, Paul Ochuoga.

Al Ahly: Mohamed El Shennawy, Rami Rabia, Yasser Ibrahim, Mohamed Hani, Yahia Attiyat Allah, Akram Tawifk, Marwan Attia, Emam Ashour, Percy Tau, Wessam Abou Ali, Hussein El Shahat.

Kenya Police fail to utilise their chances to hand Zamalek first leg advantage

Kenya Police failed to make their chances count as Zamalek got one step closer to sealing a CAF Confederation Cup group stage place.

Kenya Police could make their chances count as Zamalek secured a crucial 1-0 first leg win over the reigning FKF Cup holders in a CAF Confederation Cup second preliminary round tie that took place at the Nyayo National Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

For the better part of the opening two minutes, Police barely got a sniff of the ball, with Zamalek keeping hold of the possession until the second minute when Patrick Matasi made a timely interception by stopping a cross with his hands.

From then on, Police started to gradually grow in confidence, and in the eighth minute, Francis Kahata picked out a delicious pass towards the path of Jesse Were but it was overhit.

The game then became even, with both sides having an equal share of dominance, but Police would then find themselves creating and missing three big chances in the end, the first in the 25th minute where after a nice exchange of passes, Jaffari Owiti hit a left footed shot just wide of the post.

The second chance came in the 41st minute when they found themselves exchanging neat passes, but the final ball executed by Kahata towards Owiti was intercepted by keeper Mohammed Sobhy. The biggest one of them in the 41st minute, when they found themselves with a good chance to counter attack.

The ball was hit towards David Okoth, who whipped a left footed cross into the center of the box toward Were, but the former Zesco man whipped the ball wide.

Police would pay for their profligacy when Abdullah Al-Saeed struck a delicious ball into the back of the net, leaving Matasi helpless. The goal was created after Aboud Omar had fouled Zamalek’s Mohamed Mohamed just near the edge of the byline on the left, giving them the 1-0 lead heading into the break.

Police did, however, take initiative as Zamalek seemingly opted to sit back and defend their lead, with substitutes Alvin Mang’eni and Tyson Otieno, who had replaced Owiti and Charles Ouma injecting a fresh spark into the team.

They attempted shots at goal, but they would only be straight at the Zamalek keeper with 10 minutes of the game left to play.

Jesse Were would get yet another glorious chance to equalise in the 87th minute when Kahata found him again with a good pass, but the former Tusker Man hit it just wide.

In the end, it was the reigning Confederation Cup holders who would sealed to a crucial win, and it now means they are 90 minutes away from sealing yet another group stage place.

For Mila Pulse Sport

~ DAN ~