Kenya's Gor Mahia sounds war bells in Egypt to face Zamalek in continental cup

Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-09 16:01:25|Editor: xuxin
Video PlayerClose

NAIROBI, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Gor Mahia coach Hassan Oktay has warned his rivals Zamalek of Egypt they will leave chinks in their defense even as they seek revenge over their 4-2 loss in the first leg of the CAF Confederation Cup.

The two clubs will be meeting on Sunday in Alexandria, Egypt with prospects of jumping to the lead of Group D in the Confederation of Africa (CAF) premier continental cup.

Oktay led his charges on Friday as they arrived in Cairo on their way to Alexandria and say it will be a full fledge war as the Kenyan side seeks to turn around poor away run and win crucial game that will see them seal a slot in the quarterfinals.

"We are ready for war in Alexandria. They will come out firing in full throttle. My players are prepared and we will not be cowed. It is a match we must win and I want every Kenyan to pray for us. We will not disappoint," said Oktay on Friday evening.

Oktay want his players to focus on the match at hand even as they take their complaints to CAF over biased officiating in Algiers where they lost 1-0 to Nasr Hussein Dey.

"We could have wrapped up this qualification process by now if we had just officiating. But that is gone, we want to win on the pitch in Alexandria. I even complained to the match commissioner as the player, who was sent off during our first leg match in Kenya, was sitting on the bench in Algiers," said the coach.

Gor are second to Na Hussein Dey with six points from four matches. Petro Atletico are last with four points while Zamalek have five.

The Egyptian giants Zamalek will be hoping to continue their winning form. Zamalek has managed just two points from their first three games, and looked doomed to a shocking exit.

But the win against Angola's Petro Atletico in Luanda revived their hopes.

Moroccan-import Hamid Ahadad scored the only goal in Luanda to send a huge sigh of relief to Zamalek supporters after losing their inaugural group game to Gor Mahia 4-2 in Nairobi, and just managing back to back 1-1 draws in Alexandria with Hussein Dey and Petro.

A win in Alexandria on Sunday will give Zamalek a huge boost to reach the next round, and march towards their dream to add another CAF trophy to their cabinet.

With nine continental titles to their name so far (five Champions League, one Cup Winners' Cup, three CAF Super Cup), Zamalek ranks amongst the elite clubs on the continent. But their last taste of continental success was 16 years ago.

In the other game, Petro Atletico hosts Nasr Hussein Dey in the other group D game, also on Sunday in Luanda.

TOP STORIES
EDITOR’S CHOICE
MOST VIEWED
EXPLORE XINHUANET
010020070750000000000000011100001378814411