Gor Mahia: 5 Reasons CAF Champions League Return Ended in Pain for K’Ogalo

Gor Mahia made a return to the CAF Champions League after a two-year hiatus but their campaign ended as quickly as it began.

The Kenyan champions suffered a 7-1 aggregate loss to Egyptian side Pyramids FC after a 5-1 second leg thrashing added to their 2-0 defeat in the first leg.

K’Ogalo were totally outclassed by Rulani Mokwena’s side but the margin of the defeat would have been much lower had Charles Akonnor’s team not shot themselves in the foot.

Pulse Sports highlights why the FKF Premier League champions’ return to the big time ended in disappointing fashion.

Right from the first leg, Gor Mahia’s defending has not been up to scratch and they paid the ultimate price.

Pyramids took a five-minute lead in the first leg after the K’Ogalo defence failed to track runners before Mostafa Fathi got into the box and fired at goalkeeper Byrne Omondi, who punched out the ball only for Walid El Karti to fire home.

The second goal also came after Gor Mahia failed to defend properly in first-half stoppage time as the Egyptian side made their way into the box before Youssef Obama laid it on the plate for Mahmoud Saber to fire into the roof of the net for 2-0.

In the second leg, it was worse as the defence crumbled. Every time Pyramids got in the box, K’Ogalo struggled, with the defenders not getting tighter to the attackers while a number of times, they were caught ball watching.

Goalkeeper Byrne Omondi made a number of key saves in the first leg to keep the scores at 2-0 but could have done better for the first goal as he spilled the ball in the path of El Karti.

However, in the second leg, Omondi did not cover himself in glory as while his defence exposed him, he also struggled to deal with aerial balls as he did not come out for crosses while his positioning was not great, making it easy for the Egyptian side to score.

Omondi saved the worst for last as in stoppage time of the second leg, he received the ball under no pressure but opted against clearing it and as he fumbled around, he was closed down and dispossessed for an easy tap in.

While Gor Mahia were poor at the back, they were not any better at the front end of the pitch. In the first leg, Ebenezer Assifuah had a glorious opportunity that he missed early on which would have perhaps changed the complexion of the game.

Meanwhile, Mike Kibwage had a close-range header from a set-piece that he directed into the hands of the goalkeeper while David Okoth and Jackson Dwang also failed to find the target after getting in good spaces.

In the second leg, Paul Okoth pulled one back for 3-1 in first-half stoppage time but Gor Mahia could not find the target in the second half only to concede twice in injury time.

Winger Shariff Musa, who Gor Mahia relies on for creativity, failed to sparkle as he was neutralised after Mokwena had singled him out as one of the dangermen.

Meanwhile, it cannot be overemphasized that Gor Mahia lack experience at this level. Gor Mahia had last played Champions League football in September 2024 and at the time, only Alpha Onyango was present from the squad that started against Pyramids in Nairobi while none of those in the starting XI in Cairo played then.

It is a new team with a number of young players not accosted to playing at this level and inevitably, they struggled against an experienced team, who won the Champions League in 2025, and whose coach is used to leading sides to the latter stages of the competition.

That led to poor game management from Gor Mahia, who got caught in key moments of the match, while making many basic errors in and out of possession.

According to Transfermakrt, Pyramids’ entire squad is valued at €25.9 million (Ksh3.8 billion). Compare that to a Gor Mahia team made up of locally-based players and a few from the continent, mostly sourced from Ghana, and you have a huge gulf in class and quality.

Among their ranks is Algerian striker Nadhir Benbouali, acquired for a reported €2.9 million (Ksh433 million) just ahead of this season, and it tells you the kind of market Pyramids operate in.

Competing against such an expensively-assembled team was always going to be difficult for K’Ogalo and the performances on the pitch told.