Time wasting, injuries, forced substitutions and a red card was the story of the day as Gor Mahia overcame a 10-man NA Hussein Dey 2-0 at the Kasarani stadium in their third match of the Caf Confederation Cup on Sunday.
Francis Kahata and Jacques Tuyisenge scored a goal each to gift the hosts full pints in the ill-tempered clash.
The Algerians were forced by injury to make two substitutions as captain Ahmed Gasmi and midfielder Hocine Orfi were stretchered off the pitch and replaced immediately.
Gasmi’s injury was however more serious, and he was rushed to Aga Khan hospital with a suspected head fracture.
Gor had their way in the end, but they had to contend with an irate Algerian opposition, whose frustrations were made worse by two early substitutions and the red card.
Hussein Dey drop to second with four points, pending the match between Petro Atletico and Egypt’s Zamalek in Alexandria.
It was a bad day for Hussein Dey, as two of their top players got injured. Captain Ahmed Gasmi and midfielder Hocine Orfi were stretchered off the pitch in the 30th and 37th minutes and replaced immediately by Hocine Laribi and Aberouf Choiuter.
They also suffered another late setback in the 87th minute when Chems Harrag was sent to an early shower for bad mouthing the referee.
“We knew it would be a difficult game but things were made even more difficult by the injuries our players got early in the game. Those injuries really affected us. One player got a jaw broken, another one had a pre-existing knee injury aggravated. And it was a very bad that the referee never gave any cards to Gor Mahia despite their bad play,” lamented Hussein Dey coach Mezaine Ighil.
The game was marred by blatant time wasting and appeared to be headed for a barren draw until the tables turned in the final 10 minutes of the match in favour of K’Ogalo.
The scales first tilted in the 86th minute when Francis Kahata produced a bullet shot off his weaker right foot to complete a cross from Shadffiq Batambuze and put Gor in front.
Tuyisenge, who is the group’s top scorer, compounded the Algerian misery three minutes later by first drawing out goalkeeper Zakaria Bouhalfya and then lifting the ball over him thereby sending the stadium into frenzy.