Kenya's Gor Mahia out to finish job over Lobi Stars in Nigeria

Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-19 20:53:04|Editor: Li Xia
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NAIROBI, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- Kenyan champions Gor Mahia FC promised they will not sit on their 3-1 advantage when they play Lobi Stars FC of Nigeria in the second leg of their CAF Champions League encounter on Saturday in Enugu.

Speaking ahead of their departure from Nairobi on Wednesday, captain Harun Shakava maintained they would not play defensively in a bid to secure passage to the lucrative group stages of Africa's elite club competition.

"We are going into the second leg knowing what we need to do and with the plan we have we believe we can overcome Lobi," said Shakava, who has won three domestic titles with the club.

Samuel Onyango was the hero for Kenya's most decorated club when he notched a first half brace to add to an early opener from Rwanda international Jacques Tuyisenge during last Sunday's first leg in Nairobi.

The result left Gor on the brink of history as the first Kenyan outfit to make the group stages of a competition that will earn the 17-time domestic league winners over 54 million Kenyan shillings (530,000 U.S. dollars) in prize money.

"We had the chance to score four or five goals in the first leg but we were unlucky not to add to the goals we did score. We have now seen their style of play and we believe that we can get an away goal that will guarantee our safety in the competition," Shakava told reporters.

A team of 18 players, five technical bench members and three officials made the trip, with assistant head coach Zedekiah Otieno returning to the side after being suspended from the first leg.

The losing team will drop to the two-legged second-tier CAF Confederations Cup play-off at the group stage.

Last season, Gor lost 1-0 on aggregate to eventual Champions League winners Esperance de Tunis, who are currently representing Africa at the FIFA Club World Cup in Qatar.

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