EXCLUSIVE: Martins Neiva admits Gor Mahia Champions League chances slim after Al Ahly defeat
The record Kenyan champions hosted the African champions in the first leg of the lucrative competition at Nyayo Stadium hoping to get a convincing result to take to Cairo for the return leg in a fortnight but the game was already lost with only 15 minutes played when the Red Devils raced into a 2-0 lead.
In the end, goals from Ramy Rabia in the 14th minute and a brace from South African forward Percy Tau in the 15th and 73rd minutes ensured that the record Champions League winners will head into the return leg with a healthy advantage.
What happened during the first leg
K’Ogalo coach Martins Neiva opted to start goalkeeper Kevin Omondi between the sticks despite the youngster being a doubt for the game having picked an injury during a training session on Thursday.
K’Ogalo’s defence revolved around captain Philemon Otieno, Kennedy Onyango, Sylvester Owino while Harambee Stars player Alphonse Omija led the midfield assisted by Geoffrey Ochieng, Enock Morrison and Austin Odhiambo.
Rooney Odhiambo played behind strikers Christopher Ochieng’ and Boniface Omondi. It was Al Ahly, who started off on a high note missing two clear-cut chances from counter-attacks in the sixth and seventh minutes respectively.
However, they were rewarded seven minutes later when Rabia opened the scoring off a cross from the hard-working Tau. Before K’Ogalo could reorganise themselves from the setback, the Egyptian champions doubled their lead when the Bafana Bafana forward sneaked past the defenders to put the ball past the stretching hands of Omondi.
Al Ahly went into the half-time break enjoying a 2-0 cushion with Gor Mahia not causing them any meaningful trouble. In the second half, the Red Devils continued to dominate despite playing away from home and they almost made it 3-0 when Rabi missed from close range.
Gor Mahia defenders continued to look shaky at the back and Al Ahly should have been 5-0 up by the 58th minute. However, Al Ahly’s pressure for the third goal paid off when Tau finished off using his right foot past Omondi.
Defeat a lesson for Gor Mahia’s future
The defeat left Gor Mahia with a massive mountain to climb in the return leg set for Saturday, September 21 at Cairo International Stadium, since Kenyan clubs, including the national team, have always struggled against North African teams in recent years.
Martins Neiva, who is handling K’Ogalo in continental football for the first time having replaced Johnathan McKinstry at the end of last season, admitted Gor Mahia’s chances of turning the tables in Cairo are slim and that the club should instead, use the thrashing to grow and plan for the future.
“We have to be realistic that our chances are slim, let’s keep the same plan of trying to win the game and adapt to this level of football. Let’s take the positive points from this game to grow. It was a great lesson. It’s not every day we get the chance to play against this level of football,” Martins Neiva told Flashscore.
“This game (against Al Ahly) was good to show us where we are, and what level we are at. We are already putting together a strong team not only for this season, but also for the next one, whether at CAF Champions League or Confederation Cup level. We cannot forget that we spent two-and-a-half years without playing even one international friendly.”
Asked to describe the overall outcome of the game, Martins Neiva said: “We started better than them and even managed to create a clear chance very early in the game but could not take it. We played very excellently, controlled the ball and attacked them from the opening minutes to around 10-12 minutes.
“From there on, it was like a blackout, two goals in two minutes, and my players switched off completely, my players felt the two goals and in five minutes it was like a blackout, total collapse, and when they made it 3-0, it became too much for us to recover.”
Martins Neiva, who most recently coached Uganda Premier League giants Vipers SC and had a short spell at Sudanese giants Al Merrikh in 2022, further said his players displayed good football despite the defeat.
“We conceded two early and easy goals from our own mistakes, and in a game like that, in a competition like CAF Champions League against the best team in Africa currently, you cannot sleep even one minute...they punish you like Al Ahly did,” added Martins Neiva.
The Brazilian coach, who achieved a historic feat for the Caribbean national team after leading Saint Kitts and Nevis to first place in Group F in the first round of Concacaf qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup, outperforming Trinidad and Tobago, Puerto Rico, Bahamas and Guyana, promised to work on the defensive mistakes ahead of the return leg and the return to FKF Premier League action.
“We are going to work on the mistakes, we win together, we lose together, apart from the easy goals we conceded, we played good football against them, always trying to attack and with good possession of the ball,” offered Martins Neiva.
He concluded: “One thing is for sure, the exalted scoreline was not the true picture of the game but we move on.”
In the history of Kenyan clubs in recent years, only Sofapaka managed to turn the tables against Egyptian side Ismaily SC during their Confederation Cup fixture in 2020. Having gone down 2-0 in the first leg tie in Egypt, Sofapaka mounted a comeback to upset their visitors with a 4-0 win in Nairobi.
However, Sofapaka’s quest to reach their first-ever group stage in the CAF competition was dashed after they lost to another North African side Tunisia’s Club Africain on a 4-3 aggregate result. They lost the first leg 3-0 in Tunisia before losing 3-1 in Nairobi.
