Gor Mahia held scoreless by Esperance
Gor Mahia created numerous chances especially in the first half but were unable to capitalize due to a combination of good goalkeeping by the Esperance keeper and being denied by the woodwork. The match ended 0-0.
Gor Mahia thoroughly dominated possession in the first half. Tuyisenge was denied by the post after being put through by Kahata. Kagere was twice denied by very good goalkeeping. While Joash Onyango’s header from a Kahata corner went inches wide. Esperance appeals for a penalty when their left winger was felled, was denied by an alert referee.
In the second half, Gor Mahia slowed down slightly and were also slowed down by the poor state of the playing surface. Esperance for their part seemed to be playing for a draw and hardly ventured forward. Gor Mahia’s best effort in the second half came via a Francis Kahata free-kick which the goalkeeper parried.
All in all Gor Mahia played well. The defence was solid. Oluoch was steady in goal and midfield created chances. The good news is that Gor Mahia did not concede an away goal.
Match Attendance was below par largely because the match was being televised by various media none of whom paid to televise the match.
Additional reporting from Citizen Sports
Kenyan record league champions Gor Mahia have an uphill task in the second leg of their CAF Champions League clash with Tunisia giants Esperance, after registering a barren stalemate in the first leg played at the Kenyatta stadium, Machakos on Wednesday.
An encounter full of emotions it was, with Gor missing glorious chances in the first stanza they well commanded.
A rare occurrence saw Godfrey Walusimbi and Haythen Jovini burst the ball in the first minute, after a fierce contest near Gor’s goalmouth.
Frustrating afternoon as Gor miss chances, draw with Esperance
By Jacob Icia For Citizen Digital
time updated Updated on: 1815, March 7, 2018 (EAT),
Frustrating afternoon as Gor miss chances, draw with Esperance
Gor players George ‘Blackberry’ Odhiambo9Right) and Godfrey Walusimbi being challenged by an Esperance marker at the Kenyatta Stadium in Machakos/PHOTO/Stafford Ondego/Sportpicha
In Summary
Gor Mahia have an uphill task in the second leg of their CAF Champions League clash with Tunisia giants Esperance.
An encounter full of emotions it was, with Gor missing glorious chances in the first stanza they well commanded.
The unyielding battle continued and Kerr had to throw Bernard Ondieki and Samuel Onyango into the fray, withdrawing Philemon Otieno and a worn out Odhiambo respectively.
Kenyan record league champions Gor Mahia have an uphill task in the second leg of their CAF Champions League clash with Tunisia giants Esperance, after registering a barren stalemate in the first leg played at the Kenyatta stadium, Machakos on Wednesday.
An encounter full of emotions it was, with Gor missing glorious chances in the first stanza they well commanded.
A rare occurrence saw Godfrey Walusimbi and Haythen Jovini burst the ball in the first minute, after a fierce contest near Gor’s goalmouth.
Gor’s goalie Boniface Oluoch reacts during their Caf Champions League match at the Kenyatta Stadium in Machakos county on March 07, 2018. Photo/Stafford Ondego/Sportpicha.
Meddie Kagere’s header flew over the crossbar in the eighth minute, after connecting Francis Kahata’s cross who had skillfully dodged past Khalil Chanan.
Three minutes later, miscommunication between Kahata and Kagere wasted the most promising chance till then, the former’s through pass missing the latter’s leg by inches.
Jacques Tuyisenge would shortly land on a neat cross across the goal from Kahata, only to rattle the woodwork with a powerful shot, with the Esperance custodian Noel Ben Shariffa well beaten.
Gor trio of Kagere, Tuyisenge and Kahata were causing the 2011 Caf champions constant trouble on their goal. In the 21st minute, Kahata danced around Chanan, to set up Kagere in the box, whose right foot shot forced Shariffa to reflex dive to punch it out for a corner.
A minute later, Tuyisenge’s attempt was parried out by the hardworking Shariffa, with K’Ogalo fans on their feet in anticipation of what appeared to be an outright goal.
By the 25th minute, display by the Dylan Kerr coached side had charged the fans, though few for the mouthwatering clash, whose encouraging songs and cheers were electrifying.
Notably, Machakos County Governor Alfred Mutua, and his Nyeri counterpart Mutahi Kahiga, rose to encourage the fans to cheer on more, gesturing at the parked VIP stand enthusiastically. His Nyeri counterpart Mutahi Kahiga joined the ‘elite fan-base’, with a short lived dance though.
Realising the attacking mentality Gor had in the match, the entire Esperance retreated to guard their goal leaving only Jovini and Yossef Blaili upfront, seeking to hit Gor on counter attack.
In the 37th, Joash Onyango’s cross-cum-shot rubbed the side netting with the keeper off his place, with a diving Kagere missing narrowly ending up in the net himself.
Onyango had denied Blaili who has been released open by Foscent Coulibaly from the middle with rest of defenders falling in the counter attack trap, before advancing fast to execute his attempt.
The last chance of the first stanza fell to Kahata from George ‘Blackberry’ Odhiambo’s cross, but his poorly finished header was easy for Shariffa to collect.
Five corners to Gor’s credit going to the break and close attempts was all the home fans could count, as Esperance took stock of superb defending at the bumby and slightly muddy surface.
At resumption, Esperance brought on Annis Ben Hijra for Blaili, followed by Bilel Nestri for a meangful attack.
Hijra needed only a minute on the pitch to test Gor’s goalkeeper Boniface Oluoch, heading a loose ball to the extreme left corner that he had tip off the target for a corner.
The encounter was soon balanced, both sides knocking interchangeably on the opposite goals.
As the visitors tossed the last dice by introducing Maher Ben Shaieri for Jovini in the 70th, Gor brought on Kelvin Omondi for Kahata, who had immensely lost his initial rhythm.
The unyielding battle continued and Kerr had to throw Bernard Ondieki and Samuel Onyango into the fray, withdrawing Philemon Otieno and a worn out Odhiambo respectively.
In the 85th, Ondieki almost grabbed one for Gor with a 30-yard shot, only to miss narrowly to the disappointment of eager fans.
The determined North Africans appeared comfortable with the stalemate, employing time wastage tactics as the clock ticked fast to full time.
The result means any draw of goals in the second leg (March 17 in Tunis) will send K’Ogalo in the second round of the competition.
Can somebody please update us on the match results between gor and esperance at machakos
imekwisha Bilaz kila upande
‘The good is that Gor mahia did not conceded an away goal’ So Gor was playing away in Tunisia? Pathetic and misleading reporting. Otherwise I suppose Gor played well by denying them an away goal. We now have the advantage of scoring the away goal unlike Esperance.Congratulations.
hehehe ! i think esperance did not manage even a single shot on goal…….if ‘vegetables’ did not manage a shot on goal in Nairobi and still scored a goal at home, truth be told, the fortress of kichapo aka tunis stadium awaits us with vengeance but miracles do and can happen.
Focus on CAF confederation cup group stages is very much in order .
The only way to manage Arabs at their fortresses is to jealously hold the ball and possess. While without the ball, Gor should press and run directly at their defence so as to cause them to panic. Trust me Arabs fear teams that possess and press them at their own backyard. Teams like mamelodi and mazembe do that to great effect. One thing that Gor has in abundance, is surplus energy which they should put to great effect in Tunisia.
I think Gor will play in the group stages this year!
@Francis, thanks for believing in Gor.
Always!
Even in Kampala, Gor has quite a following, going by the replica jerseys!
I really have a good feeling about east African teams redeeming themselves this caf champions league campaign!
@Jakoyo, stop being a pessimist, just like Bobby Ogolla. In ’87 we held them 2-2 im Tunis and 1-1 in Nbi. The current team has alot of belief in themselves , led by the coach. Once we unleash courageous Onyango and Guilkan on them it will bw a frastrating time.
Jakoyo, your posting just shows that you are not Gor Mahia fan. Just go to he’ll.
Odhis Muga I think it is you who has problems putting English words into their perspective and understanding them. The reporter is write by all standards in English language. It is true as he writes…”the good thing is gor mahia did not concede an away goal”. The team playing away is Esperance and the team conceding to Esperance is gor mahia. Hope you now learn the dynamics of English!!
Away goal is in order….Gor did not give away goal advantage to Tunisia….
English is a foreign language yawa…
In 1987 it was all draws.
Could it be that the history want repeat itself?
Last time it was 8 to 2….We are on the right direction..
Congrats team, let’s all encourage this team they can pull a surprise in Tunis
Unlucky is how I can sum it up.we could have finished the job in the first half but we were denied by a combination of very good goalkeeping and the post.
However,the team played very well and I was thoroughly impressed by Joachim oluoch and the much maligned joash onyango who many here criticized me after the Gor-afc match when I mentioned that Gor needs a rugged defender like him…6 or is it 7 games on he continues to vindicate what I said.well done team Gor!!
@sillyonyi thanks for the correction though not polite as would have been expected of a gentleman. I read the news in haste and never digested the concept,otherwise nobody has perfection in a foreign language and no language is superior to the other.
All our foreign based players earned their pay today. Congrats to all our players.Kenyan media has now shifted goal post to Gor’s ‘daunting’ task away.Am am sure uoga tumetoa Leo and return leg our unused striker will rattle the net;very sure on this.
if Tunisia will play tiki taka Gor will match that so no fear @Jakoyo usiingie baridi
Congrats boys,Asante vijana..Thoroughly impressed by Kogalo outclassing & outplaying Esperance in all deparments.We created clear chances but were denied by ladyluck that didnt smile on us.They never even tested bonny oluoch.We played good clean build up football and Am happy.Special mention goes to my man of tbe match Joash Onyango who today was a fortress at the heart of defense.Joachim Oluoch safii sana kijana for that solid display.Man Mbish philemon you fought like the Tiger i know you to be alongside a stable effective Wendo.Kahata you fid exactly what i said & thanks coach for playing him where i advised.All in all lack of a clinical striker cost us but meddie & jacque played well.Walusimbi you are a Kogalo Maestro even if i don’t mention unajua.Let us finish tbe job in Tunis,you showed you can match the best in the continent toe to toe
Has Mieno become a passanger?
Osiepa tbe speed of the game wouldn’t accomodate Mieno,ge is a slow coach player though sure but waarabu dwaro chap chap
Not sure yet but he may soon become one if Philemon keeps on putting in such a wonderful perfomance.
Ere musymo;your in put please
For GMFC to progress the following especially must produce a mircalous performance in Tunis: 1) Bonny must be outstanding and avoid his costly blunders, HE IS GOOD ENOUGH? HE MUST SAVE THE TEAM LITERALLY. 2) “Missed Chances” don’t count when will our forwards, especially Jausenge, ever learn that. Kuhata a free header like that yawa is dissappointing. We will not get 10 scoring chances in Tunis from which score 1/2 goals. This Mieno chap, despite Jasego’s defense, may just be another “passenger”.The lad could be having a nagging injury just like Odula.WHO ARE OUR MEDICS? Then there is Innocent who for reasons known to EC can’t play in CAF. Why have excess baggage? Ker should be worried that Esperance sat back and we still couldn’t score, he needs to be very shrewd in Tunis, Finally the 2016/17 financial report of Olunga’s former Swedish club shows that they had a total income of approx kes.600M out of which kes.400M (that is two thirds) was from Olunga’s transfer to China. In GMFC player transfers are “free”.
@Oduor12, please try to avoid capital letters while communicating. It is communication etiquette.
In 2014 Gor were beaten at home 3 -2 , hence, we Kogalo have proved our enemies wrong by denying Esperance an a way goal, still we are going to shame our enemies wrong in Tunisia come 17th, March, 2018. I am confident Kerr is going to make history this time round. Any one can take it to the bank and gate some loan.
I need that bank loan…thanks for being positive…also thanks n congrats kogallo.
No matter what happens in the return match , we are proud of u guys , Our display yesterday is a testament that we have what we need in the field I.e the TB and the Playing unit , if only we could sort out these embarrasing off pitch incompetence and put Gor within the same organisational structure as Esparance , wydad casablanca , mamelodi sundown , only then will we be a team like before that nobody in Africa ever wished to meet . . .
Bonny should be injured every 3 minutes in the match ….to frustrate them
Pack the midfield
Our Opponents ( Critics ) are saying that Kogalo were wasteful, they should understand that those chances did not come by themselves, they were created by the same players despite the fact that luck was not on our side in front of goal. They were also helped by goal posts. Hawa watu wali fanya kitu kwa goal post before the match.
I hope you are not insinuating that there’s still a place for witchcraft!
‘Hawa watu wali fanya kitu kwa goal post before the match.’
I want to believe that the only ‘kitu’ that works in modern football is being technically astute and pure adrenaline plus some little bit of luck!
Esperance can be beaten.Just that North African teams like dirty tricks like time wasting, injuring opposing team’s star players and bribing referees.
Let us encourage our players in whatever way possible.Esperance can be beaten.
I am proud of the team regardless of the result. The boys have proved that they can match the best in Africa. Let us motivate and encourage the team. They are capable of progressing to the next stage
I said on Monday on Ktn news that this is the best playing unit we have had in a long time, the lads proved us right….. We should all continue believing….. Tunisia tunakuja
Hmm Mahia! These Boys Are Good! We Have A Team. Tunisia Here We Come. Its Not Over Until Its Over!
Even if we are going to loose to Tunisia on 17th, the boys have tried…Let those who do not believe comment here. We need to encourage our team.
We are going to beat jo waraabu gi seriously. Our legends like Bobby Ogola should know that our wemen give birth everyday.
Likes of Miguna should also know that soccer is made in western Kenya not in meru.
@wuod suba,am afraid you post abt miguna isTOTALLY UNCALLED FOR, football is God given talent not region or tribe.The team should not be carried away by the good results posted, we would have gauged our strength well if we could have scored and seen their reaction to counter. We must play like guys possessed in Tunis, coz i believe what they did is like a mother cat catching a rat and not killing it leaving it for the kittens to learn how to kill a prey.WE CAN SUPRISE THEM AND MAKE THEM PAY FOR THEIR MISCALCULATION AND OVER CONFIDENCE.ALL THE BEST GM.
I agree with you Levelmindfan. I am also afraid that Esperence could have deliberately chosen to tactically retreat knowing that the state of the pitch and the weather condition wouldn’t favour them to play their game. Thus they allowed our boys space to play as long as they don’t score. Remember, in a fight, the most important thing is not to punch the opponent but to avoid getting punched. So yes, as we celebrate the “good display” by our boys (I really do), we should be worry of what may happen in Tunis. Therefore we should not be buoyed by that performance but train very very heard in the coming days knowing that when we jet out to Tunis, we will be meeting the real Esperence.
…train very very hard….
@Leval mindfan….Correction is positively taken…Lets move on with advice to our boys…
ThanQ, for your +ve attitude @ Wuod Suba.We pray and hope for qualification in Tunis.
@Jamigori, ati “COMMUNICATION ETIQUETTE” please quote a valid widely accepted authority for such gibberish.Miwa pachi regarding the game instead of rattling about capital letters.Ker must be very alert, he may be pleased with the display so far but we are exactly where Esperance want us to be. We all know that North African teams rarely win but mostly draw or even lose by a narrow margin their away games especially the first leg only to comprehensively win at home. Esperance did exactly that in their first round match,drew 1,1 in the first leg only to win 5 nil in Tunis. So Ker BE FOREWARNED!
@ Odiuor 12 …which game was 1- 1 and 5 nil in Tunis?
@Wuod Suba, am referring to the 1st round match scorelines between Esperance and ASAC Concorde of Mauritania prior to Esperance qualifying to face K’Ogalo in CAF CL 2nd round.
@ odour…thanks for the information.
Gor officials should save us the heartache, hi stories za ati winning allowances hazija lipwa mara mishahara should not be coming up now.
This team should be highly motivated at this juncture, we are preparing to face the most difficult match soon, please just try to make things better however difficult the situation may be. We understand the difficulties you are facing especially after sportpesa pulled out but just try
Sportpesa never pulled out,how do you think we have remained operational upto date despite very poor match attendance by fans?We are bankrolled for basic expenses like salaries & recurrent expenditure just not publicly or officially awaiting board decision and renegotiation after sportpesa and government reach a compromise on taxation
Ok
@Jasego, well put. On the issue of poor match attendance I think the team needs to review the cost of the tickets now that we are forced to incur extra expenses for going to Machakos. That means that for a single match a Gor supporter who in most cases is a hassle has to part with no less than 600 per match.
Maybe we should now take the league matches to Kisumu and if possible the CAF matches to KK.
I only hope that our Governors are now off the RESIST-mode and are doing something akin to what 001 is doing down at the cost, with the same resources.
Nyong’o should have the issue of Kisumu Stadium as his number one priority. Ranguma wasted the chance
A way disadvantage or home advantage in champions league has little or no effect to the teams that believe in themselves. Examples are PSG V Real Madrid, Liverpool Vs Porto or Arsenal Vs Millan . The same result is quite possible come the 17th, of March,2018. Even Boby Ogola has come on our [side to support the fact that Kogalo is going to prevail this time round.