FKFPL Mashemeji derby: How AFC Leopards ended their seven-year hoodoo against Gor Mahia

Ingwe might have been second best on the day but there were a number of factors that contributed to their first win against K’Ogalo since 2016

AFC Leopards ended their seven-year winless run against bitter rivals Gor Mahia following a 2-1 victory at Nyayo Stadium on Sunday.

Leopards had not tasted victory against Gor since March 2016, when they edged K’Ogalo 1-0, and heading into Sunday’s encounter, few gave them a chance of ending that torrid record given their rivals are challenging for the title while Ingwe had won just two of their last eight matches.

However, even with Gor the better team on the balance of play, Ingwe ended up with all points, courtesy of Victor Omune’s penalty and Maxell Otieno’s header, either side of Austin Odhiambo’s headed goal, to leave Johnathan McKinstry’s side playing catch up in the title race when they headed into the weekend with a two-point lead.

Pulse Sports highlights how Gor played into Leopards’ hands in the latest installment of Mashemeji derby.

Omala ‘off day’

Gor Mahia hit man Benson Omala, the league’s top scorer, came into the match needing just one goal to equal the 47-year record set by another K’Ogalo legend Maurice ‘Sony’ Ochieng but ended up empty-handed, not for the lack of opportunities but poor decision making.

Omala had the perfect opportunity silence the visiting supporters and take pressure off his teammates when Gor got a 26th minute penalty following a foul on Alpha Onyango.

The 21-year-old stepped to the spot, sent Leopards goalkeeper Levis Opiyo the wrong way, but missed the target, and had to agonizingly watch his penalty go inches wide. He was not the same since that miss.

Perhaps with the pressure of expectation weighing heavily, Omala rarely threatened the Leopards defence and with their talisman not at his best, Gor failed to utilise the chances they created.

To show just how ineffective Omala was, he had a glorious opportunity to make it 2-2 in the dying minutes of the contest, and after going past his marker with only Opiyo to beat, he opted to take another touch, allowing the defender to close in, and then passed the ball. A confident Omala would easily have buried the chance.

Efficient Leopards, toothless Gor

Gor would have easily won the contest had they taken their chances but as it turned out, they lived to rue their misses.

K’Ogalo created numerous opportunities, getting into the Leopards box with ease, but could not find the target against an Ingwe defence that has looked shaky in recent matches.

By contract, Leopards had three good chances and ended up scoring twice, although Jaffari Owiti should have made it 3-1 in the second half when he was played in by Eugene Mukangula.

Opiyo at his best

It is safe to say that had Leopards goalkeeper Opiyo not made a number of great saves, Gor would be top of the table on 66 points, two ahead of Tusker, not second on 63, one behind Robert Matano’s men.

Opiyo came up triumphs, racing quick to sweep a number of dangerous situations in the first half before punching way from close range in the second half, one from a corner and another from a thunderous shot.

His decision to stand tall as Omala got close to coming one-on-one late on, played a part in the Gor striker opting not to shoot and passing instead, seeing K’Ogalo blow away a chance to level matters.

Aussems’ mind games

“Gor Mahia, Mathare, Murang’a I don’t care. We will work on something different for the players to be ready for the semi-final,” Leopards coach Patrick Aussems said following his side’s win over Nzoia Sugar last weekend.

Aussems has insisted league matches are just a ‘warm up’ for Ingwe as they prepare for their ‘biggest game of the season,’ the FKF Cup semi-final against Kakamega Homeboyz next weekend and even with the derby bragging rights and title at stake, he claimed the approach against Gor would be the same.

This helped Leopards play without pressure and would have, perhaps, given Gor reason to be optimistic that it was going to be an easy game. As it turned out, Aussems ended up helping his ‘enemy’ Matano instead.

Tusker playing on Saturday

With the brewers playing a day earlier and winning 1-0 against Kariobangi Sharks, Gor knew they must beat the ‘old enemy’ to regain their two-point cushion.

Anything less that that meant Tusker stay top and as it turned out, the pressure on Gor turned out to be good news for Matano and his men as K’Ogalo failed to collect maximum points despite being the better team on the day.

Defeat means May 28 could be the day that the title slips further from Gor’s hands or returns in their favour as they visit Tusker, needing a win to return to the top.