Gor hit four past Zoo to set mood for CAF return leg

A much-changed Gor Mahia FC squad showed little signs of weakness as they dispatched Zoo Kericho FC 4-2 at the Green Stadium to climb into top of the Kenyan Premier League (KPL) on Thursday.

Coach Dylan Kerr made nine alterations to the squad that defeated Leones Vegetarianos 2-0 in Saturday’s CAF Champions League tie in Machakos with skipper Harun Shakava and striker Meddie Kagere the only players retained in the starting line-up.

Jacques Tuyisenge who sat out of the continental duty due to injury returned to lead the attack and will certainly be in contention for a starting berth in Wednesday’s return leg as he needed only 35 minutes to put Gor into the lead.

The champions made it 2-0 almost immediately after the restart as Boniface Omondi found the back of the net after some neat work from Kagere to put him clear. The hosts halved the deficit eight minutes later before Joachim Oluoch restored Gor’s two-goal cushion in the 70th.

Substitute Samuel Onyango took the game away from Zoo with a 74th minute strike before Nicholas Kipkirui pulled one back a minute later.

Gor had a dull start, struggling to make meaningful attempts in the first quarter hour and Kagere was guilty of failing to connect Tuyisenge’s 12th minute cross when any sort of guiding touch from him would have troubled goalkeeper Martin Elungat.

The visitors found a second chance two minutes later and this time it was Tuyisenge to blame as he shot wide after combining well with former Tusker FC midfielder Cercidy Okeyo.

Shakava then made a last-ditch tackle to block Kipkirui’s shot from finding the target after the striker had pulled from yards out in the 22nd minute.

At the half-hour mark, an unmarked Bernard Ondieki fired directly into Elungat from within the box as Gor’s push to fin the opener gradually gained momentum.

The deadlock was then broken five minutes later as Rwandan international Tuyisenge finished off superbly from Boniface Omondi’s cross. He would however not finish the first stanza after sustaining an injury, forcing Kerr to introduce George ‘Blackberry’ Odhiambo in his place at the resumption.

K’Ogalo needed only two minutes of the second half to double their lead, Omondi putting his name on the scoresheet.

Zoo however pulled one back in the 56th, Captain Ligare easily beating custodian Shaban Odhoji who was making his debut for the season.

Kagere should have added the third in the 61st from Ondieki’s pass only to miss narrowly, before Okeyo headed an effort wide.

Former Ulinzi Stars forward Onyango who had taken the place of Okeyo with 22 minutes to go, played a hand in the third goal as he assisted his namesake Onyango’s goal, his first ever for K’Ogalo.

The super sub Onyango then grabbed his debut goal that made it 4-1, reacting quickest to bury a rebound after Kagere’s initial had been pushed back into play.

Kipkurui then reduced the deficit as the clock ticked towards full-time with the last whistle confirming Gor’s ascent back on top of the KPL log.