Gor Mahia on Saturday beat Murang’a Seals 3-1 in the much-anticipated SportPesa Derby at St. Sebastian Park in Murang’a.
The high stakes game took off at 3.00pm with Gor Mahia taking an early lead with a goal by Austin Othiambo, a lead that was however short-lived as John Kiplangat of Murang’a Seals scored leaving the teams with one goal each at half time.
In the second half, Murang’a Seals conceded a second goal by Benson Omalla from a penalty and later a third goal from the same player minutes to the final whistle.
Gor Mahia head coach Jonathan Mackinstry said his team had a good start to the game and ended up controlling up to 70 percent of it.
He noted that the Seals were a good opponent that brought energy and aggressiveness giving Gor Mahia a worthy challenge.
“We only need to keep winning to stay ahead of our competitors and look after ourselves expecting our opponents to come full throttle,” Mackinstry said.
The coach sustained an ankle injury in the changing rooms during half-time that he said may keep him away for two or three days of training.
Murang’a Seal’s head coach Juma Abdalla said he was satisfied with the way his players played saying that they were resilient and becoming more confident.
“The boys played as we had trained. Although we missed a few chances, their overall performance was good as the players are now more confident,” he said adding that the boys were ready for their next match against Tusker.
On his part, the SportPesa Communications Manager Willis Ojwang said they were thrilled to be part of the historic match that was a demonstration of talent and a celebration of football, unity and sportsmanship.
The win against Murang’a Seals puts Gor Mahia 12 points clear on the board at the top of the division ahead of what might be a tough game against Shabana next week.
By Purity Mugo
