It was a case of too close, yet too far for Gor Mahia in their quest to qualify for CAF Confederations Cup Knock-out stage for the first time in more than 20 years. Unfortunately for them, their hopes evaporated right in their eyes despite a spirited fight.
Gor Mahia on Wednesday failed in their bid to reach the quarter-finals of the Caf Confederation Cup after losing 2-1 away to USM Alger at the 5th July Stadium in Algiers, Algeria. in their final preliminary match.
Third choice goalkeeper Peter Odhiambo, repaid the faith bestowed unto him by coach Dylan Kerr to start him ahead of Boniface Oluoch when he saved a penalty in the 13th minute. This was after Captain Harun Shakava had been judged to have handled the ball in the box.
But Shakava failed to marshal his defense and Gor gave away a cheap goal in the 38th minute. Prince Ibarra rose high to head into an open net from a corner. Set pieces have proved to be Gor Mahia’s biggest undoing as five out of the seven goals the team has conceded in the competition have come from set plays.
Gor continued to chase the game looking for that elusive goal but Amis Sayoud doubled the scores for the hosts in the 80s. Jacques Tuyisenge pulled a goal back for Gor but it proved to be too late as the Algerians held on for the win.
Rayon Sports grabbed the second spot after a 1-0 win over Yanga at home to finish on nine points and seal the final quarter-final slot. K’Ogalo finished third in the pool with eight points and miss out on a last eight berth.
The Kenyan champions will rue their loss against Rayon on August 18 in Nairobi in a match that they only needed a point from to confirm their place in the group stages with a game to spare.