Gor just too good for Leopards

The stone the builders rejected became the cornerstone as AFC Leopards reject Demonde Selenga came back to haunt his former club in Gor Mahia's 3-1 victory of over arch rivals AFC Leopards at the Nyayo National Stadium on Sunday.

And in a sold-out attendance, Wycliffe Ochomo, Selenga and Dan Makori were the heroes of the evening as Leopards’ Mike Barasa pulled one for his side.

Never had Gor defeated Leopards in such a margin since their first match in 1968.

In an outcome of major significance in this season of seemingly endless Nairobi City derbies, Zedekiah “Zico” Otieno claimed his second major triumph as Gor head coach when his side won a titanic contest of wills to dismiss Leopards in a befitting manner.

The telling blow was inflicted by Leopards reject and Congolese import Selenga who scored his first league match in a green jersey and created his club’s third goal on a tempestuous encounter.

In a game where the Leopards never really clicked into gear, K’Ogalo were the better team throughout and their winner late in the second half was a just outcome for their prolonged superiority in the matchup.

The win proved a shot in the arm for K’Ogalo’s boss, with the assured performance proving contrary to the constant criticism he has faced over his team’s resilience.

Evidently feeling like they had a point to prove, Gor started the game in buoyant fashion.

Lively forward

Sustained pressure early on led to a collection of half chances for the hosts, the most glaring of which fell to Kevin Omondi after a fidgety Nicholas Muyoti fluffed his clearance yet the Gor man could only drag his shot wide from the edge of the box.

The Leopards struggled to impose themselves as the game developed, with Gor enjoying more than their fair share of possession.

A fluid move culminated in Edwin Lavatasa drifting in from the right flank to meet a whipped Omondi cross, though the lively forward couldn’t keep his effort down.

Either the Leopards’ captain Muyoti seemed overwhelmed or wasn’t just prepared for the match as he kept on making mistakes.

In one of those, he gifted Gor’s Wycliffe Ochomo with a killer pass, but the former Congo United forward hit the post in the process.