Charles Thuku
After an unblemished run in the preliminary stage of the ongoing Council of East and Central Africa Football Associations (Cecafa) championship in Rwanda, Kenya’s surviving emissaries Gor Mahia have their work cut out when they face Green Eagles of Zambia in the quarter-final on Wednesday.
Gor topped Group D with maximum nine points after a 1-0 demolition of Kikosi Maalum Cha Kuzuia Magendo (KMKM) from Zanzibar, enterprising youngster Eric Ombija scoring the lone goal in the 87th minute from Hashim Sempala’s spadework
Having earlier beaten DR Congo’s AS Maniema (2-1) and Djibouti’s AS Port (2-0), the fixture against Eagles will be tricky for Gor given that the Zambian side has been one of the most impressive ever since the tournament kicked off on July 7.
But K’ogalo coach Hassan Oktay remains optimistic and has already stated that winning the trophy is not too much to ask for his charges, adding that there are a few grey areas which need to be rectified.
“We have to work on some few aspects before we play in the quarter finals. I will rectify a few mistakes and get the players ready but I’m hoping we can win the trophy as we head into the new season,” said Oktay.
However, it has been so far so good for Gor and the team will especially take a lot of inspiration from young players like Ombija who has shown a lot of character in his maiden appearance in big-time competitions.
And perhaps due to the rigors of Gor playing the battle-hardened Green Eagles in the last eight, Oktay might opt to field experienced players with a sprinkling of green horns.
