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Gor Mahia put in a spirited display but ultimately fell short to Al Hilal, who secured all nine points from group B with a 2-0 win over the Kenyan side.
Gor Mahia put in a spirited display but could not find a way through Sudan’s Al Hilal, who cruised to a 2-0 win over the Kenyan champions in their final CECAFA Kagame Cup clash played at the Azam Sports Complex on Tuesday evening.
Gor will now be shifting their focus towards the Nigerian Coal City tournament which will take place in Nigeria in August as they commence preparations for the 2024 CAF Champions League.
After a first 15 minutes where they were subjected to a bit of pressure, Gor Mahia started finding their feet by playing one twos and gaining territory over Al Hilal.
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In the 23rd minute, they should have found the back of the next when Chris Akena took advantage of a wayward pass by an Al Hilal Defender before trying to find Boniface Omondi, but his indecisiveness allowed them to get back into shape and scramble the ball away to safety.
In the 30th minute, an injury to Mohammed Gazzafe left Al Hilal with no choice but to bring on Abuagla Mohammed after he could not continue thanks to a cynical challenge by Levin Odhiambo.
There was a momentary heart-stopping moment when Gad Mathews of Gor Mahia mistimed an areal ball which put him in trouble after being involved in a 50-50 challenge with an Al Hilal forward, forcing him to tip it behind for a corner.
Gor Mahia did create another opportunity just before the interval after a swift break from the back in the 44th minute that resulted in Omondi finding himself with another good chance, but instead, his resulting attempt could only be deflected away for a corner.
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After the break, Al Hilal had a great opportunity to take the lead after Lawrence Juma clumsily gave away a free kick just outside his penalty box, but Faris Abdallah could not make his attempt count.
Ahmed Al Hassan would eventually put Al Hilal into the lead in the 55th minute. Yasir Mozamir managed to bypass Levin Odhiambo before setting up Abdallah, who received the ball to feet and turned before unleashing a left-footed strike into the back of the net.
Gor Mahia tried to claw back into the lead and tried to create a move to restore parity, but a mistimed shot by Sydney Ochieng left Al Hilal creating a good opportunity on the counter attack which Jean Claude Girugumisha initiated, but he could not make it count.
Gor boss Leo Neiva opted to make changes. He brought on Chris Ochieng and Alpha Onyango for Benson Omala and Chris Akena. He would then sub on Gedion Bendeka a few minutes later as he sought to find an equaliser, taking off Lawrence Juma.
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This left spaces in the middle, and Adama Coulibaly created another chance for Al Hilal which he should have buried, but hit the ball wide off target.
Gor’s insistence to try and play out from the back nearly caught them out and make them concede the second goal in the 84th minute when Sydney Ochieng was pressed out of a pass before an Al Hilal player attempted a shot, forcing Mathews into another save.
Despite their best efforts to equalize, Al Hilal would put the icing on their own cake with a wonderfully crafted goal by Mohammed Abdelrahman who got on the end of an exquisite pass from Coulibaly in the 87th minute.
Gor will now strategize and prepare for the Coal City Cup, a tournament they will be using to correct their errors from the CECAFA tournament.
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