NAIROBI, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Kenya's Gor Mahia team will have a slim 1-0 advantage in the return leg of the CAF Confederations Cup in Pretoria, South Africa after beating SuperSport United in Machakos on Sunday.
Jacques Tuyisenge slotted home the all-important goal from the penalty spot 12 minutes from time as the Kenyan Premier League champions put one foot in the last 16 of the tournament.
"The team played well. I am glad we won 1-0 though we should have buried more chances, but we have to keep this same spirit until the return leg in Pretoria," Gor Mahia coach Dylan Kerr said on Sunday evening.
Gor Mahia will only need to avoid defeat in the return leg in Pretoria to book a historic berth in the group stages of continental football.
Coach Kerr missed a host of players including Wellington Ochieng, Karim Nizigiyimana and Godfrey Walusimbi and hopes to have them available for the return leg.
"We wanted a high scoring match, but it was not to be. It is still open and even though we carry a 1-0 advantage we must go to the return match with a positive attitude because unlike Esperance (of Tunisia) we saw a completely different side in the second leg," he said.
The first match was characterized by brilliant runs and near misses, with George Odhiambo, Meddy Kagere and Tuyisenge all coming close. Coach Kerr believes knitting the team together for the return leg will help win the match.
"The team work was fantastic, everyone worked very hard and really we deserved to win," Kerr said.
SuperSport coach Kaitano Tembo remained upbeat despite the loss and hopes to overturn the slim deficit in the return leg.
"Credit to them, they deserved it today. They are a good team and they showed it. We did well but I think this is a scoreline we can overturn. We need to get a few things right but this tie is not yet over," Tembo said.
