Al Khartoum 1-3 Gor Mahia, National Stadium

The mighty Gor Mahia survived an early scare to thrash Sudan’s Al Khartoum 1-3 to reach this year’s final emphatically.

The Kenyan giant once again came from behind to beat an opponent for the second time in this tournament, proving their fighting spirit and strong mental strength.

Amin Elmani capitalized on a defensive mix up in Gor’s defense to cooly slot home past keeper Boniface Oluoch in the first minute of the match – not to be derailed, Mahia picked up themselves and started to surge forward for the equalizer, Meddie Kagere should have put matters level but his header hit the woodwork with no one else to beat.

Red hot Michael Olunga stepped forward to convert a penalty in the 24th minute after Al Khartoum defender handled ball in the box, a minute after restart, Olunga turned the provider, setting up sensational winger Innocent Wafula who unleashed a stinging shot to put Gor in the lead. The scores stayed 2-1 in favor of Gor as the match retired into the breather.

Al Khartoum returned for the second half more hungrier, pinning Gor in their own half, but this time the Frank Nuttall boys stood tall and firm in defense.

Rwandan Meddie Kagere put matters beyond Al Khartoum’s reach in the 54th minute pouncing on a loose ball in the box after poor clearance by the defenders to score the third and the final of the entertaining match.

Khartoum’s Coach Kwesi Appiah blamed lack of concentration for the huge loss. He went ahead to admit that he lost to a better side.

“Gor Mahia is a good side, they deserve the win.” Kwesi said.

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Collins Okinyo

Ex- CAF Media Expert. An expert on African football with over 15 years experience ,always with an ear to the ground with indepth knowledge of the game. I have worked for top publications including 7 years at www.supersport.com until i founded www.soka25east.com to quench the thirst of football lovers across the continent. I have trained young upcoming journalists who are now a voice in African football.I have covered World Cup,AFCON,CHAN,Champions League,Confederations Cup,Cecafa,Cosafa,Wafu and many other football tournaments across the World. Founder Football Africa Arena(FAA),Founder www.afrisportdigital.com