Gor Mahia Dust Off Dey Blushes Ahead Of Crunch Zamalek Tie

8th March 2019 - by Louis Kalinga

In Algeria, the Hassan Oktay-coached side suffered a controversial 0-1 loss at the hands of NA Hussein Dey, with Malian referee Boubou Traore hitting the headlines for all the wrong reasons

Jacques Tuyisenge of Kenya's Gor Mahia (C, below) celebrates with Batambuze Shafik (C, above) after scoring his second goal during their CAF Confereration cup football match against Egypt's Zamalek at The Kasarani Stadium in Nairobi on February 3, 2019. Kenya's Gor Mahia won by 4-2 against Egypt's Zamalek. PHOTO/AFP

SUMMARY

Record Kenyan league winners Gor Mahia FC are over the football ghosts that haunted them in Algeria and are all set to battle it out against Egyptian giants Zamalek SC at 9:45PM local time on Sunday
Gor left Algiers on Monday and have been in Alexandria all week where they pitched camp ahead of their crucial last away fixture in the CAF Confederations Cup group stage
There is no doubt that the Sunday night fixture will see the Egyptians come out for Kenyan blood as they seek revenge for the humiliating 4-2 defeat they suffered in Nairobi last month

CAIRO, Egypt- Record Kenyan league winners Gor Mahia FC are over the football ghosts that haunted them in Algeria and are all set to battle it out against Egyptian giants Zamalek SC at 9:45pm local time on Sunday.

Gor left Algiers on Monday and have been in Alexandria all week where they pitched camp ahead of their crucial last away fixture in the CAF Confederations Cup group stage.

In Algeria, the Hassan Oktay-coached side suffered a controversial 0-1 loss at the hands of NA Hussein Dey, with Malian referee Boubou Traore hitting the headlines for all the wrong reasons.

Traore denied Gor a clear goal after Ugandan defender Shafiq Batambuze headed the ball into the hosts net following a Francis Kahata corner and despite the fourth officials racing to the halfway line for a restart the referee disallowed the goal.

The incident in question sparked outrage in Kenya with many past stars and football fans flooding social media to slam CAF for the dubious standards of officiating at continental tournaments in favour of teams from North Africa.

The defeat left Gor in second place with six points, trailing the leaders Hussein Dey by one while Zamalek are in third with five and Petro Atletico de Luanda in last place, three points off the top.

“The officiating was poor and despite the level of unfairness that we were subject to in Algeria, we have no choice but to pick up the pieces and focus on our next assignment,” Turkish tactician Oktay told SportPesa News.

There is no doubt that the Sunday night fixture will see the Egyptians come out for Kenyan blood as they seek revenge for the humiliating 4-2 defeat they suffered in Nairobi last month.

Record Kenyan goal scorer Dennis Oliech returned to the squad after missing a couple of matches due to a slight injury and his inclusion to the squad is set to inject life into the SportPesa Premier League (SPL) champions.

“I have a very capable squad and I believe that they have what it takes to get a good result in Egypt.

“Dennis (Oliech) is back and despite his vast experience, it’s also good for me as a coach to have reliable options going into the game,” Oktay added.

Trusted Rwandese forward Jacques Tuyisenge remains joint-top of the continental competitions top scorers with three goals to his name and the entire K’Ogalo faithful will be banking on him to add to his account.

Last weekend’s results flung the group wide open and Gor must avoid defeat in Cairo if they are to keep their qualification hopes alive.

Gor are set to return to the country on Monday before resuming their domestic title defence with a midweek home fixture against Kakamega Homeboyz FC on Wednesday, March 13.