Gor Mahia Get Tricky Test as CECAFA Kagame Cup Semi-Final Lineup is Completed

Gor Mahia have their work cut out if they have to end their 41-year wait for a CECAFA Kagame Cup title as they have been handed a tough semi-final tie.

K’Ogalo have been paired with Sudanese giants Al-Hilal in the semi-final in what will be the glamour tie of the competition.

While Charles Akonnor’s men will fancy their chances, they are up against a formidable force that has a lot of experience not just in the region but on the continent.

The 31-time Sudanese champions may have been playing their league matches in other countries, owing the war back home, but they have never lost their mojo and made it to the quarter-final of the CAF Champions League last season, after topping a group that had eventual winners Mamelodi Sundowns.

That is top quality to contend with for Gor Mahia, but which Akonnor’s team need, as they are set to make a return to the Champions League next month.

Gor Mahia made it to the semi-final as the top team in Group A after two wins while Al-Hilal were the best second-placed team, having also managed six points from a Group C that was topped by Rwandan giants Rayon Sport, the only side to win all their group stage games.

It sets up a great tactical battle and Gor Mahia will be mindful of the fact that Al-Hilal are wounded after losing last year’s final and will want to go one better this time around.

To make matters more complex for K’Ogalo, they have suffered three massive injury blows after winger Samuel Kapen was ruled out for between six months and one year after a torn ligament while forward Patrick Essombe and defender Sylvester Owino will miss two months of action.

The record Kenyan champions have, however, made many signings but Akonnor would have wished to have all his squad fully fit ahead of the Al-Hilal clash as he plots a route to the final of a competition the club last won in 1985.

Meanwhile, Joe Waithira’s Jamus from South Sudan will face Rayon Sport in the other semi-final with both matches slated for August 4 at the Amahoro Stadium in Kigali, Rwanda.