By Fredrick Nadulli,

Reigning league champions Gor Mahia and GOtv Shield winners Sofapaka, Kenya’s two representatives in Africa face gruelling return fixtures in less than a fortnight, hundreds of airmiles away from home.
Coming off some not so convincing perfomances in their respective outings in Nairobi, both sides must now pull out all tricks in their bag to advance to the next round.

LUKEWARM DISPLAY AT HOME

Although Gor take with them a slim lead to Antananarivo, their opponents CNaPS Sport look like a side very much capable of overturning the deficit in Madagascar. Gor had a rather tepid display against the Islanders, an early penalty by Ali Abondo all they managed to upset the nippy visitors. CNaPS were able to make forays into the Gor rearguard and this will be a major concern for coach Frank Nuttall.Only inept finishing and the heroics of new goalkeeper Boniface Oluoch ensured the hosts carried the day.

Still, the Kenyans have the upper hand, needing at least a tie of any margin to advance.

For Sofapaka, it seems almost certainly au revoir. Their soft spoken coach Sam Timbe put on a brave face even in defeat, adamant the contest is far from over; but the 1-2 scoreline coupled with the dominance and bravado of the Zimbabweans strongly suggests otherwise.

The Kenyans were slow and ponderous, employing long balls against the tried and tested patient build-up play of the FC Platinum side. The somewhat cheeky admission by coach Norman Mapeza that his side did not go full throttle will send alarm bells ringing in the Sofapaka camp. And if the display at Nyayo is really anything to go by, the return fixture in Tvishavane will be dynamite for Sam Timbe’s men.

UNWANTED BAGGAGE

Football being what it is, nothing can be ruled out yet. Both sides are still in with a big shout. However, extra work will have to be put in if Gor and Sofapaka harbour any ambitions of going further in their respective campaigns.They are both walking a very tight rope.

Granted, the Kenyan clubs may be suffering from mental baggage as a result of persistent boardroom wrangles on the local scene. The feuds are evidently taking a psychological toll on the teams and hindering their preparations and concentration.
It will be a disgrace if they both exit this early, more so Gor Mahia, at the hands of a hitherto nondescript Madagascar outfit.