Gor feel Tuyisenge pinch as trio maintain title charge

Gor Mahia FC boss, Marcelo ‘Ze Maria’ Ferreira and the Green Army were left to rue the Jacques Tuyisenge-shaped hole in the attack after Ushuru FC punctured their resurgence under the former Brazilian international on Sunday in a barren draw.

Goalkeeper Shaaban Odhoji denied Jacob Keli from the spot in one of the highlights of a resounding performance as the champions were pegged back after two morale boosting victories on the trot brought belief back to the club.

K’Ogalo who went through last season unbeaten are now six points adrift with the trio leading the charge to replace them as titleholders, Tusker FC, Mathare United and AFC Leopards who all won their eighth round of the 2016 SportPesa Premier League (SPL) games over the weekend to remained deadlocked at the top with 17 points apiece.

After losing their September Mashemeji Derby to Leopards 1-0, Gor cannot afford to lose further ground on their direct rivals when they clash with Tusker this weekend at the back of a debilitating injury list that expanded to accommodate Uganda Cranes midfielder, Khalid Aucho, who was concussed in a first half clash of heads against Ushuru.

 

In the absence of Tuyisenge K’Ogalo labored to apply a final finish to their enterprising build-up play with Keli earning the wrath of the Green Army for squandering several chances. Having won a penalty just five minutes into the second half, the striker turned the crowd against him when he failed to convert as Odhoji dived the right way to punch his effort clear.

Ushuru were alert to thwart the impressive Karim Nzigiyimana’s tireless marauding runs from the right wing as they held their nerve to nick an important point from the champions in true head coach Ken Kenyatta fashion.

Ze Maria rued the chances that went begging but praised the opponent’s solid defending.

“We played well especially in the first half. We had many goal-scoring opportunities which we failed to utilize so hopefully we can be more aggressive in front of goal next time. They defended well but it was a good game,” he said, a stark contrast of his remarks when his side came from behind to beat Thika United in their previous match.

The Brazilian has been advocating for beautiful Samba football, and with his players having turned on style at Nyayo National stadium, the result seemed to be a slap in the face of the attacking game from a defense-minded approach favoured by a group of SPL tacticians among them, Kenyatta.

Ze Maria conceded any ambitions Gor have of retaining their title or salvaging a season that started in nightmarish fashion rests on whether Tuyisenge can be fit enough to start the game having scored once against Kakamega Homeboyz before his brace against Thika United lifted K’Ogalo to within four of the leaders.

 

“Jacques is important but we have other players in our team. We need to get the best out of everybody,” Ze Maria added.

His opposite number Kenyatta, a former Leopards keeper, was glowing after his boys gave another masterclass in rearguard action.

“My general assessment of the game is that it was an even contest. They were very fast in exchanging passes and in their general interplay but in a tactical game like this you have to stick to be very alert,” he said, throwing a dig at the attacking football favoured by the Brazilian.

The game had a farcical ending when referee Japheth Juma sent-off Ushuru’s Nelson Marasowe after the final whistle after realising he had let him play on despite having two red cards in another indictment of the plummeting standards of officiating in the country’s top flight.

“Sometimes we just have to leave the referees alone to do their job, we cannot always focus on their work while it is just a part of the big game,” Kenyatta rued but inwardly relieved to have withstood the K’Ogalo onslaught with 10-men.

Earlier at the same venue, Ulinzi Stars surrendered their unbeaten run to a hard-battling Posta Rangers as Joseph Mbugi scored from the spot to help the mailmen leapfrog the soldiers to fourth place with 13 points, three adrift of the top as they enjoy an impressive return to the top flight.

Rangers’ Coach Zedekiah ‘Zico’ Otieno, said the victory will go a long way in boosting their confidence as they start preparing for a trip to Mombasa where they face Bandari FC who started the season as joint title-favourites but have wobbled in form in their next match.

Twahir Muhiddin’s expensively assembled side came unstuck 1-0 in the sugarbelt as Wycliffe Ochomo took solo command of the Golden Boot race with a sixth for the season to lift Muhoroni Youth as he awaits the outcome of the disciplinary proceeding against him for unsportmanship behavior in their opener against Mathare.

Muhiddin continued to decry wastefulness among his strikers as the Mombasa-based club sunk to the sixth on the log.

Sofapaka FC legend John Baraza was unlucky in his first match in charge for the club when deputizing for David Ouma who was with Harambee Starlets in Algeria, as he witnessed Batoto ba Mungu let slip a 1-0 lead to lose the match 2-1 Leopards who kept their title chase alive on Saturday.

Serious questions as to whether the 2009 champions can avoid the drop this season have now been raised after suffering a seventh straight league defeat with reports in their camp alleging their flamboyant president, Elly Kalekwa’s cash taps have ran dry.

Kepha Aswani and super-sub Allan Kateregga both impressed for the hosts as the former headed in his fourth goal of the season .

Coach James Nandwa registered his first win since taking over at Thika United as Ray Omondi stunned hosts Chemelil Sugar to pull his side out of the relegation zone to 13th place on six points.

Ali Bai’s solitary goal for Kakamega Homeboyz was sufficient to put a halt to Nairobi City Stars’ winning streak in a 1-0 victory that saw John ‘Bobby’ Ogolla’s boys come crashing down to earth after stunning Leopards and Mathare in their previous encounters.

Eugine Asike and Mike Khamati’s goals helped fire Tusker past Western Stima, coming from a goal down courtesy of Wesley Kemboi’s early strike.

In another match on Saturday, Francis Kimanzi’s Mathare had to wait until the dying minutes of the match to see off stiff competition from Sony Sugar led by Coach Leonard Odipo –who was his deputy at Tusker FC last season- as Derrick Onyango came on late to score the only goal of the match.

STANDINGS

P          W        D         L          GF       GA       GD      PTS

1 Tusker         8          5          2          1          14        9          5          17

2 Mathare      8          5          2          1          10        5          5          17

3 Leopards    8          5          2          1          10        6          4          17

4 Rangers      8          3          4          1          8          5          3          13

5 Ulinzi          8          3          4          1          7          4          3          13

6 Bandari      8          3          3          2          8          6          2          12

7 Muhoroni   8          4          0          4          8          9          -1         12

8 Gor              8          2          5          1          8          5          3          11

9 Stima           8          2          4          2          8          7          1          10

10 Homeboyz 8        3          1          4          6          10        -4         10

11 C. Stars     8          2          3          3          8          9          -1         9

12 Ushuru      8          2          3          3          7          9          -2         9

13 Chemelil    8          2          3          3          4          7          -3         9

14 Thika         8          1          3          4          6          9          -3         6

15 Sony          8          0          3          5          2          7          -5         3

16 Sofapaka  8          1          0          7          7          14        -7         3

 

Tags:

AFC Leopards tusker fc. GOR MAHIA Mathare United Kenyan Premier League SportPesa Premier League (SPL) SPL SportPesa Premier League

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