Kenyan premier league champions Gor Mahia are staring at elimination from the ongoing Kagame Cecafa tournament, following their 1-1 draw against ASAS Djibouti Telecom in a Group B fixture at Azam Complex Stadium on Saturday night.
KO’gallo opened the scores through Levin Odhiambo in the 40th minute, but Warsama Houssein replied for Telcom in the 42nd minute.
The result leaves Gor who fell 1-0 to Zambian side Red Arrows in the opener in a must-win situation against Sudan Premier League giants Al Hilal on Tuesday (tomorrow) in their last group B clash, for a chance to qualify for the semifinals.
This was the second time Gor were facing the Djibouti side, having beaten them 3-1 in the preliminaries, in Tanzania in 2015, when they went all the way to the finals where they fell 2-0 to Tanzania side Azam FC.
Gor left back Levin Odhiambo who was on target in the clash says they gave it their best, but couldn’t break their opponents' defence.
However, he hopes they beat the Sudanese giants to grab their last four tickets.
“Gutted not to pick up full points but excited to make my debut with Kogalo and mark it with a goal. Thank you all for the support, we turn our focus towards our next fixture,” said the former Tusker defender.
Meanwhile, table toppers Al Hilal beat Red Arrows 5-0, to qualify for the semis with one match to spare.
KO’gallo are third on the table with one point, while Arrows are second with three points.
Telcoms are bottom with one point.
Gor's new coach Leonardo Neiva who is handling the team in his first assignment says the team is a work in progress progress, and they have to work harder to ensure his playing philosophy is grasped.
“We have several new faces who haven’t trained together for long, but we just have to believe in ourselves against the Sudanese side,” said the Brazilian.
KO'gallo is preparing for the CAF Champions League against another Sudanese side Al Merrikh in the Preliminary Round on August 24, 2024.
