AFC Leopards and Gor Mahia play out a goalless draw in 96th Mashemeji Derby

Part of the action as Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards played to a barren draw (C) FKF Media

By Michael Kirwa
Sunday, March 30, 2025

AFC Leopards and Gor Mahia played out a tense goalless draw in the 96th league edition of the Mashemeji Derby at Nyayo Stadium. Despite both teams creating chances, neither side could break the deadlock in a match that saw moments of attacking intent, defensive resilience, and rising tempers.

AFC Leopards and Gor Mahia settled for a goalless draw in the 96th league edition of the Mashemeji Derby, played at the Nyayo National Stadium.

AFC Leopards dominated the early exchanges, with Ovella Ochieng' narrowly firing over the bar in the 6th minute. Samuel Semo then came close to scoring directly from a corner in the 8th minute.

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Gor Mahia responded with Paul Ochuoga’s powerful shot being blocked in the 19th minute. In the 22nd minute, Shariff Musa forced Levis Opiyo into a save with a dangerous long-range attempt.

Bonface Kweyu had the best chance of the first half but sent the ball over the bar from close range in the 37th minute.

Austin Odhiambo, who was fit enough only for the bench, had a chance to win the game for Gor Mahia in the 88th minute but shot narrowly wide on the turn from inside the box.

What an attendance today! No more sitting space #MashemejiDerby pic.twitter.com/LDHcdr15u8
— Eric Njiru ⚽️ (@EricNjiiru) March 30, 2025

Heading into the match, Gor Mahia coach Sinisa Mihic had noted that the league sees many goals from set-pieces due to the poor state of some Kenyan football pitches. That observation nearly came back to haunt him twice in the first 10 minutes. In the 6th minute, Ovella Ochieng's free-kick narrowly sailed over the bar after the referee awarded a foul on Kelly Madada.

Shariff Musa's free-kick into the box from the left wing was weakly cleared by AFC Leopards, allowing Paul Ochuoga to fire a vicious goal-bound shot, which Semo blocked.

This aggressive scramble for possession was also punctuated by offside calls against both teams, as no meaningful goal threat surfaced until the 37th minute when AFC Leopards attacked through Samuel Semo on the right wing.

Rising aggression from both teams saw tempers flare in first-half injury time, forcing match officials to intervene and break up a brawl before Mimisa booked players from both teams.

The second half started with AFC Leopards earning a free-kick in the 49th minute, but Kaycie Odhiambo's tame effort was easily saved by Gad Mathews.

Both teams created half-chances in the second half, but neither could find the breakthrough. The match ended in a goalless draw, leaving both sets of fans frustrated with the lack of cutting edge in front of goal.