- Gor Mahia FC interim coach Zedekiah Zico Otieno has said that now all focus is on the Mozzart Bet Cup.
- Kogalo will take on Nairobi United in the Cup final.
Kogalo who hosted Ingwe at the newly refurbished Raila Odinga Stadium in Homabay played to a 1-1 draw with arch-rivals AFC Leopards.
This was the first time Gor Mahia were hosting the derby at their spiritual home, South of Nyanza.
The game was played in Homabay due to the unavailability of traditional venues, Nyayo and Kasarani Stadia which are under renovations ahead of August’s CHAN tournament.
Zico’s Kogalo opened scores in the 31st minute of the game when former AFC Leopards player, Austin Odhiambo squeezed a low drive past the Ingwe defense to send the whole of Homabay town in frenzy.
This was a well deserved lead for the team that dominated most of the proceedings in the opening stanza.
The home team would go to halftime in the lead and this looked like one of the days Gor was going to win as they have always done in the last decade.
The second half was quiet a different story as Fred Ambani’s side upped the tempo and got their deserved equalizer five minutes after the break through Brian Wanyama.
A well lifted free kick from Vincent Mahiga spotted Peter Maker deep into Kogalo’s danger area and the lanky South Sudan international headed the ball into play, and Wanyama cooly chested the ball before rifling home the ball to send the capacity crowd in dead silence, in fact you could feel the sound of a pin drop at the ROSH!
“It is a very sad day for us, I think lack of concentration in defense cost us today,” Otieno said after Monday’s draw, which was the third consecutive game Gor Mahia had dropped points.
“Our previous game (against Murang’a Seal) we conceded from a throw-in, and today again from a set-piece.
It is a concern, but it’s something that we can work on going forward.”
On his side’s fading title aspirations, he said: “I am very disappointed because this is a match we had really planned to win.
“I don’t think there is any other chance (to win the league). As you can see, the gap is widening between us and Police, and now we cannot talk about the league anymore. Let’s go back and concentrate on the Mozzart Bet Cup.”
Kogalo will surrender the league title to Police if they pick a point against Shabana on June 11.
Ingwe meanwhile remain sixth on the log with 47 points.
