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Gor Mahia Head Coach Martins Neiva Leonardo and assistant Coach Zedekiah Otieno 'Zico' with part of players after beating El Merreikh during CAF Champions league match against at Nyayo National Stadium. August 25, 2024. [Jonah Onyango, Standard]
Record Kenyan league champions Gor Mahia FC went down 3-0 against defending champions Al Ahly SC in the CAF Champions League return leg at Al Salam Stadium in Cairo, Egypt on Saturday night.
The 6-0 aggregate loss is a learning lesson to head coach Leonardo Neiva who praised his charges despite the heavy defeat.
“The tournament introduced us back to this level of football after being away from continental competition for two years, our aim now is to get accustomed to it, we will do better.
“We have used the competition to prepare the team for similar future events, we want the players to be tough physically, mentally and tactically,” the Brazilian tactician said.
Some Gor Mahia fans accepted that 12-times champions Al Ahly were in their own league in the one sided two-legged tie.
“I think it will take Gor a while to be at par with them, right now we can only pick the positives from this outing,” Asher Omondi wrote on Gor Mahia social media page.
Joseph Banda praised their rivals for being so well oiled and organised, saying it’s a great challenge for K’Ogalo to also strive to reach those heights.
“That Al Ahly team has fully functional departments cutting across the club. We are really short in comparison,” Banda said.
To Keegan Keya, it is only numerous international friendlies that will get Gor back firmly into the continental showpiece.
“This loss is a wake up call for us to do all that we can to accustom ourselves to African football and one of the ways to do that is through international friendly matches with other giants across the continent,” said Keya.
Mark Ochieng warned their local rivals AFC Leopards SC, who are chiding them over the heavy loss against Al Ahly, that they will feel the wrath of K’Ogalo when they face each other.
To Hamisi Gari, CAF needs to rethink their act of pairing underdogs against CAF champions saying it doesn't make sense at all for the winners to take part in the qualification process.
He is urging the continental football governing body to consider giving defending champions direct tickets to the group stages as their participation in the preliminary rounds dim lights of low ranked sides.
"Al Ahly should have qualified direct to the CAF Champions League group stage, since they are the defending champions.Same to Zamalek in the Confederation Cup," said Gari.
According to Nick Derrick, the loss to Al Ahly is a wake up call to Gor management to look for funds to invest in quality players who can manage continental football well.
" A 6-0 loss is a very horrible performance from the record Kenyan Premier League champions. This is a wake up call to current Gor Mahia leadership to change how the club is managed. They must find ways of getting money to invest in quality players and good infrastructure that will elevate our game," stated Nick.
The Standard Group Plc is a multi-media organization with investments in media
platforms spanning newspaper print operations, television, radio broadcasting,
digital and online services. The Standard Group is recognized as a leading
multi-media house in Kenya with a key influence in matters of national and
international interest.
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