Gor Mahia out of KPL Top 8
Courtesy of futaa.com
Tusker FC advanced to their first ever Top 8 final courtesy of a 1 – 0 aggregate win over Gor Mahia after managing a 0 – 0 draw in the second leg of the semi final clash staged at the Nyayo National Stadium on Wednesday 22 May.
The league champions started on a front foot with Robert Omunuk catching Ivan Anguyo’s outstretched arm with a cross but the brewers calls for a spot kick were waved away, only for a corner to be awarded. The corner in the first minute was curling in until Ivo Mapunda intervened to punch out for a second corner in two minutes.
First attack
The corner was cleared as well before Gor managed to settle a bit in the game but Tusker continued pushing with no success in the final third.
Gor had the first chance in the tenth minute when Musa Mohamed raced well on the left flank to cross in for Edwin Lavatsa but his ball was closer to Samuel Odhiambo than the Harambee Stars forward.
With Tusker clearly the dominant side in the midfield battles reckless tackles started flying in from the Gor Mahia players and in the 26th minute the referee flashed out the first yellow card, to Gor’s stand in captain Donald Mosoti for a poor tackle on Ismail Dunga.
Two minutes later Khalid Aucho was booked for diving in a quest to win a penalty under pressure from David Otieno.
Mosoti escape
Mosoti should have been given his marching orders on the 35th minute with a tackle from behind on Jesse Were but the referee passed the chance and seven minutes later the defender hacked down Dunga again. Instead it was his team mate David Otieno who was cautioned for a foul on Justin Monda as the teams headed to the break.
Gor Mahia introduced Dan Ssreunkuma at the start of the the second half and Moses Odhiambo later on but their attacking groove came in the 70th minute when Odhiambo forced the Tusker keeper into a great save to tip over a long dipping attempt for a corner.
Rama Salim had a goal bound header cleared with the keeper already beaten five minutes later then in the 82nd minute had another header crashing off the bar.
Mapunda saves
As Gor went in hunt of the all important goal, they were caught on the counter in the 92nd minute forcing Ivo Mapunda into a triple save to keep them in the game but all that was in vain as Tusker managed to hold on for a place in the final where they will take on Thika United.
This elimination should be a reality check for all concerned. It is time for those responsible to realise that we have become ‘just another average team’ and that serious work is required to raise the current team’s performance closer to the benchmark set in yesteryears.
As fans, we should also accept that Gor Mahia of today is a far cry from what we are used to. For once I saw rough tackles being meted by my team on the opponent. It is amazing how Mosoti survived the first half. To me those rough tackles are a sign of a team so desperate for a win that it will stop at nothing. Gor Mahia that I know and support should never be desparate for a win but should be able to read the opponent’s game and come up with an ingenious response that delivers results without dirty tactics. Our seond half performance, however, deserves commendation. The whole team worked quite hard but lady luck was not on our side.
All in all I think we played well especially in the second half. We should all be aligned to the fact that as Gor we are not going to win everything always. The big issue is how fast we recover. We now have the FKF and TPL trophies to fight for. Our ‘fringe’ players David Otieno,Moses Otieno, Yusuf really played well and Anguyo back in his familiar role as the last time meant that there was a lot of Stability behind
I also wish to congratulate the fans for coming in good numbers and applauding the team after the match even with the knowledge that the trophy is now beyond us. That is what we need to do as fans.
“-Some players, such as Ali (Abondo) don’t want to play. That’s why he is always first to be subbed”….this statement from Sir Bobby Ogolla is just too critical to be ignored!!!…
Hmmmm, its quite obvious K’galo is not well.
To me our major problem is the midfield.WITHOUT MENTIONING NAMES WE ARE GOING NOWHERE WITH OUR CURRENT MIDFIELDERS.We know Coach Logarusic seems to prefer developed talent,so I suggest that come June EC sends him to Sudan to the CECAFA to scout for 3 creative/attacking midfielders. 4get signing defenders / strikers for now.
All said as much as I have doubts about Logarusic’s tactical acumen I thank him for bringing administrative stablity to K’galo.
Barefoot, competition is tough at all levels, the boys tried very well. One day you win, another day you lose and thats the way of sport. Mosoti just missed a red card but that is because of the pressure and tension in that game. Watch out for David Otieno,with more confidence he will be one of our best defenders, coach should give him more games.Go now out for FKF cup and TPL which mean a lot more than this Super 8.
Interestingly, how is the TB planning to address the issue of fading midfield and strike force? And the issue of injuries? Serious teams have already indicated their intentions on which players they want,look at AFC-the are talking to Opiyo, Oyoo and our own Moses Otieno, where are we? Are we talking to anybody,Or is it again to be that the coach takes leave all that one month recess and comes back when it is hopelessly too late?
during the league break i suggest that Loga should not leave for his homeland but rather stick around and steady the ship.
Alot of work needs to be done with our current squad if we want to sustain a meaningful title challenge.
If it is true that AFC are talking to Opiyo and others,let someone advice the EC to hijack that deal as Opiyo is just the kind of player we need to come back home.
Kudos to the likes of Mapunda,David Otieno and Owino for giving such an acomplished display against Tusker!!
We are a ‘kawaida’ team. Our players are good but we are trying round poles in square holes. Why have Rama struggling with high balls all through a match? Can’t we see his height?
From last season we have the best defender, best midfielder, best striker, best new player and in my opinion the best two goal keepers. Add Owino, Emuge, Nasio, Wekesa, Njuguna, Rama, Lavatsa, Musa, Odhis, Otieno, Abondo, Kiongera, Mutiso, Yusuf, Mosoti, Anguyo then you sign Pinchez and Ouma formerly of Sony and if you can’t win the League and CECAFA then….
The league this season like all other seasons will be won by the most consistent team and the club shouldn’t fire any player in June but the coach should go if he can’t achieve consistency with this great players.
@ja thur gi ji you are right, we can win, loose, or draw any given match. I wonder why we can’t always play the way we played in the second half yesterday. It was a clear indication we have a very good team that can deliver. Sir Boby Ogolla has said some players in the team just don’t want to play. What are they still doing in the team? Am also questioning if have identified some players to sign during this June transfer.
Watch out for Davy Otieno.
The TB knows better but i think with Owino doing great in the attacking mid, this guy could just be his perfect replacement in defence.
Truly we were outplayed especially in the first half. I think something is missing, at times we play as if we have less players in the field. I disagree that we should be buying players here and there at every break when we see them lose form then after becoming irrelevant. Whose responsibility is it to raise up players. I see even this quick fix is not serving us.
Gor mahia should make the 2012 tpl/kpl trophy, the only priority.These other things, sijui top what, sijui fk what are a waste of time, resources, a source of unnecessary fatogue and injuries.
To me, its a good thing that we are out of the top 8.I wish we were knocked out earlier!
Loga should use only fringe players in fkf.The regulars should only get involved if we reach the finals.
Otherwise, we should train all our focus and energies on the league trophy.I also agree with fellow bloggerrs that david otieno might be the next big thing in defense.While david owino, might be the solution to our midfield woes.With owino pushed into midfield, owino has agood chance of establishing himself at the fullback position.
Meanwhile I hope we start the 2nd leg of the season, with a full house.
If we can have everybody fully fit (kevo, mutiso, kiongera, gathu), depth will be there, , competition will be stiffer and performance will definitely improve.
the current perfomance of our team exposes the coaches inefficiencies,the technical bench is not being honest coz their are players in the team whom they dont trust their ability and yet they are in the team.the head coach in particular does not have a long term plan for the team and we are busy cheering him on while he is slowly destroying the team.where on earth have seen a coach reporting for pre-season training one month late and the office does not reprimand him,if he is not serious then the players will follow suit.the team is not ok and in my opinion thinking of buying new “experienced”players is just but a temporary solution.we need a coach who will groom young players the Siang’a way.today we have Ade and musa coz of him.
Fellow blogers,I understand that majority of fans were shocked to see how gor were playing what we call rough game.The brewers were the ones who provoked players with there hard tackle & Loga instructed them 2 play hard.I think if they did not do that,we wud’ve had another strong injury like that of Gadhu(gaucho).the 2nd half was now played well bcos tusker was now like a small team.All in all the team played well.
I truly sympathise with our Tech. Bench. because it is so hard to make a player play if his heart is not in it. That is where a sports counsellor comes in. Sir Bobby’s observation does not surprise me. On quite a number of matches this K’Ogalo star has appeared absent-minded and lacked the presence of mind to read his team mates intentions with the ball. Someone to work on his mind please, otherwise let us not condemn him. Perhaps this is the more reason why we should go hunting for Pinches. Well Ogwang’ is after him but is his heart with Ogwang’?
While a move from Jokuong’ will give him the much needed fresh air, Pinches should think hard before he embraces Ogwang’. The pros for a move to Ogwang’ definitely exist,but do they outweigh the cons? I don’t think so. I hope I am wrong but I fear I am right to believe that Efusi do not really need any more personnel in the midfield because they recruited very well in that department. My hunch is that as usual, they are simply playing safe by ensuring that Pinches does not fall into our hands since that would make us unstoppable. Efusi does not need Pinches’ services at all. They simply want to feel safe by keeping him locked in the Den. I say “as usual” because that is what they did with Eric Masika.
How about Noah Abich? And Victor Ochieng’? How often are they fielded?
With the great Charles Okwemba so lethal in that midfield and the youngster Omoto and the Imbalambalas, what are the chances of Pinches being fielded? One thing I know is that our in-laws put alot of emphasis on the ethnic factor and that is one thing that will keep Pinches in the cold. My advice to Peter Opiyo is to answer this question before he makes a move to Ogwang’: where are Eric Masika, Noah Abich and Victor Ochieng’? Otherwise come back home and fill the void in our midfield.
Talking of Jokuong’, I think coach Matano has resolved that it is ok for any other team to beat them but not GM. It is for this reason that our TB should strategise for our up-coming league match against Matano’s boys. I implore our Tech Bench to explore the Amr Zaki approach of striking. All who watched this Egyptian half-man-half-machine in AFCON 2006 will remember how he punished opposing teams and single handedly won the cup for Egypt with goals that came from traps laid far away in the Egyptian half. Almost all Amr Zaki’s goals were scored in this manner and he made it look so easy. We have players with such quality and if given that orientation can help us out of this goal-scoring nightmare. Finally, I salute Jathur gi ji, Creative Village, Kassam Mwingano and Arrumtiddi.
Well played team.on my side the coach should work on our striking force and the midfield 4 kogallo to take the league.if that is not done soon we will just watch the trophy as last season.
Sorry Kassam, I meant Mwivangano and of course my hellmate Oduor12.
guys, i once said Owino is good in mid and you saw. Now get Olando from wherever and pair him with Owino and you will see. Play Kevo/ Mutiso/ Kiongera on the wings with their speed you will see wonders. Finishing will be easy as the spade work shall have been done. Lets go for 4-2-3-1 system and we will dictate the mid while avoiding this aerial balls that are so common and not helping us at all. Rama/ Natty could play behind Serenyeti or Lavatsa.
WE WERE PLAYING FOR 4 TROPHIES IN 2013, HALF WAY TRHOUGH, WE ARE OUT OF TWO, ONLY TWO REMAINS………TIME WILL TELL
we shall take the remaining 2 thats a promise