Much was at stake beyond bragging rights in the latest edition of Nairobi’s Mashemeji Derby between Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards when the two teams met on Sunday in the FKF Shield Cup final. A precious spot in CAF club competition next season was also on the table and Gor Mahia secured their ticket to the CAF Confederation Cup with a penalty kick shootout victory following a scoreless draw in regulation. Goalkeeper Gad Mathews was the hero for K’Ogalo by saving the opening two spot kicks from Leopards while Gor flawlessly converted all four of their attempts to keep their supporters from stressing.
The match itself was rather uneventful as both teams struggled to craft opportunities from the run of play and both defenses were water tight in preventing clear chances. AFC Leopards striker Elvis Rupia had the game’s best chance inside five minutes when he muscled off a Gor Mahia defender to latch onto a long ball and then curled his effort off the post with Matthews clearly beaten. Gor’s Tito Okello was the most dangerous player on the other end but was well kept in check by the Leopards defense. In the end penalties were always looming and there was little question of which team was going to come out on top when Mathews established his spot kick saving credentials.
The Daily Nation has a detailed match report in the link below and highlights are further down.
