Action as Gor Mahia lost 0-2 to Al Hilal on Tuesday (C) CECAFA MEDIA
Gor Mahia lost 2-0 to Sudanese club Al Hilal Omdurman on Tuesday afternoon at the Azam Complex in Chamazi, concluding what has been a miserable CECAFA Club Championship tournament for the record Kenyan league champions.
K'Ogalo went into the match already eliminated, having lost 1-0 to Zambia's Red Arrows and drawn 1-1 with Djibouti Telecom in their first two Group B matches.
Despite their early elimination, it was expected that Gor Mahia would aim to leave on a high and give their new Brazilian coach Leonardo Martins Neiva his first victory since taking over from the Northern Irishman Johnathan McKinstry, but it was not to be.
The 2023–24 FKF Premier League champions succumbed to two second-half goals as Al Hilal Omdurman finished top of Group B.
After a goalless first half, Salaheldin Alhassan opened the scoring for the Sudanese club in the 56th minute, before Mohamed Abdel Raman sealed the win with an 89th-minute goal.
The win saw Al Hilal Omdurman progress to the semifinals as the team with the best record in the tournament, having won their group with a 100% record while keeping a clean sheet in all three games and scoring nine goals in the process.
Gor Mahia finished joint bottom of Group B with Djibouti Telecom, who lost 1-0 to Red Arrows.
The Red Arrows, as a result of the victory, qualify for the semifinals as the best-ranked second-place team.
The 2024 CECAFA Club Championship attracted 12 teams, which were split into three groups of four teams.
The first two teams in each group qualify for the semifinals automatically where they will be joined by the best-ranked second-place team.
Al Wadi of Sudan, Al Hilal Omdurman, and APR Rwanda have qualified for the semifinals having won Group A, Group B, and Group C, respectively.
Red Arrows, after collecting six points from two games in the Group Stage, ended up claiming the slot for the best-ranked second-placed team.
The semifinals will be played on Friday, July 19, 2024, in Dar es Salaam. Al Hilal will take on APR Rwanda, while the Red Arrows will face Al Wadi.
The third-place play-off match will be played on Saturday, July 20, 2024, while the final will take place on Sunday, July 21, 2024.
The 2024 CECAFA Club Champiobship is sponsored by the Sudan Football Association (SFA), Dar Port through the Tanzania Ports Authority, Azam TV, and Rwandan President Paul Kagame. The champions will pocket US$30,000 (SH 3.9 million), the runner-up US$20,000 (SH 2.6 million), and the third-placed US$10,000 (SH 1.3 million).
Following their elimination, Gor Mahia's focus now shifts to competing in the inaugural Coal City International tournament in Enugu State, Nigeria, from August 1 to August 11, 2024.
The eight-team invitational tournament has also attracted Brazil’s Esporte Clube Vitoria, FC Kallon of Sierra Leone, and Cotton FC from the Republic of Benin. Nigeria will be represented by four clubs in the tournament. The four clubs are Enugu Rangers, Enyimba, Kano Pillars, and Remo Stars.
Gor Mahia stands a chance of making SH 7 million if they go all the way to win the tournament. Already they are guaranted of making 5 million naira (approximately SH 478 000) as appearance fee per match. The winner of the tournament is expected to pocket 50 million naira (approximately SH 4.78 million).
Competing in the tournament will form part of Gor Mahia's preparations for their CAF Champions League preliminary first qualifying round matches against El Merreikh Bentiu of South Sudan.
