The hallowed Egyptian mummies returned to haunt the Kenyan football terrain again on Sunday, leaving Gor Mahia severely battered and their supporters in pieces
The mighty K'Ogalo had hoped to exorcise the ghosts of Pharaoh's descendants who have become a bane of all Kenyan topflight sides, as they dared 12-time African champions Al Ahly at Nyayo Stadium.
But they ended up the prey, taking a severe 3-0 beating in their backyard, much to the chagrin of a heavy-hearted nation.
Two quickfire goals hoisted the visitors into the lead. Rami Rabia opened the floodgates barely four minutes into the match before Percy Tau's brace in the 15th and 74th minutes hammered the final nail into K'Ogalo's casket.
Asserting that stage fright may have played a major role in Gor Mahia's heartbreaking defeat, head coach Leonardo Neiva acknowledged his team was beaten by a superior squad.
"We looked lost throughout the match and at some point I felt we were reduced to spectators as our players followed our opponents aimlessly," he said.
"We managed to put our house in order later in the game but it was too late for a comeback. There are some areas we shall have to rectify before the next match."
The Kenyan representatives struggled against their more tactically adept opponents on both sides of the interval in the first leg of the Caf Champions League second preliminary round.
They appeared highly strung in the first half as their defence soaked in goals, despite being buoyed by an ardent home crowd that packed Nyayo Stadium to the rafters.
The result has complicated matters for Gor, who now need to defeat their opponents in the rematch in Cairo the following weekend by a minimum of 3-0 to advance to the group stage.
Neiva believes they can still make a dramatic comeback if they play a more compelling game in the Egyptian capital.
"This is football and anything is possible. We know we have made our work a lot more difficult but we are willing to push above our weight in Cairo to register positive results," he said.
A visibly thrilled Al Ahly head coach Marcel Koller lauded their opponents for losing gracefully but warned them to brace up for more shock in the return leg.
"We are glad we collected maximum points here today which makes our work easier in the reverse fixture. Still, we can't afford to rest because the results don't reflect the true nature of our opponents," he said.
