Gor Mahia arrived into the clash with wind in their sails following a 12-game winning streak that includes seven league wins and five FKF Cup victory that has seen them book a ticket to the final for the first time in eight years against their sworn enemies AFC Leopards that hands then an alternative route to continental football.Wazito on the other hand overwrote their five game winless run by beating limping Kariobangi Sharks 2-0 in their last League clash and had ample time to prepare after their weekend clash against Ulinzi Stars was postponed.Gor Mahia head coach Manuel Vaz Pinto was left incensed by Peter Waweru who failed to hand Odhiambo a red card for handling the ball outside the box.”I agree with the draw if you do not look at the red card for the Wazito goalkeeper, they are a fresh side after not playing over the weekend. I think we dominanted the first opening 20 minute of the game but they came back strong in the second half,””The yellow card for Geoffrey was not fair – I cannot complain much about the referee but for me that was a red card but we have to pick up ourselves ahead of the next match that is coming over the weekend,” said Pinto.His counterpart Francis Kimanzi was impressed with the draw against Gor Mahia that indicates progress in the team but chose not to focus on the potential red card that could have been handed to custodian Peter Odhiambo.”I thank the boys, we are in the league to play and improve not to compete against Gor Mahia alone, I think we played good football against a good side and I commend the boys for controlling the game because they played to instructions,””We want to entertain the fans and everybody and at the same time pick up points, the match we played today gives as a better picture of improving. The Gor Mahia coach is not right to complain because they also did not complain when they played Sofapaka (Batoto Ba Mungu were controversially denied a penalty in the dying minutes of the game). This is the best referee in East and Central Africa,” said Kimanzi.Manuel Vaz Pinto’s plan in the game was disrupted as early as the sixth minute when Alpha Onyango was stretchered off with what look like a serious injury as he hauled straight to the ambulance with John Macharia taking his place.The sub meant a reshuffle as Kenneth Muguna who started as a number 10 dropped back to fill th3 void left by Alpha with Macharia slotting in wide and Karim tucking in to the number 10 role.Wazito FC threatened in the opening exchanges and could have grabbed the lead in the 14th minute but were let down by profligate finishing by Michael Owino who fluffed his lines when Musa Masika whipped in a dangerous low pass across the face of goal.Gor Mahia’s first real chance of the game came in the 26th minute when Karim played a neat through ball to John Macharia from the left flank but the former Guria midfielder watched as his chance came agonizingly close to finding the back of the net as the Wazito back line breathed a sigh of relief.Wazito again came close to breaking the deadlock in the 27th minute when Maskia who was a live wire in right channel cross the ball from a short free kick but the crossbar denied Johnstone Omurwa who nodded the ball in but Shakava cleared the ball as far as Maurice Ojwang who reloaded the ball with a ferocious effect that forced Gad Mathews to tip the ball over the bar.The second half saw a more open game as both teams took off the handbreak as they had a real go for the much needed three points but struggle to find the incision to split open the sturdy defenses.Unimpressed with the second half start, Vaz Pinto dipped into his bench as he sought to add more punch into the game and galvanized his attack by bringing in Sydney Ochieng and Samuel Onyango in place of Karim Abdoul and Clifton Miheso.Wazito had a hand in mouth moment in the 61st minute when Peter Odhiambo diced with disaster as he palmed the ball out of Samuel Onyango’s path but the referee elected to hand him a yellow card despite him being the last man and denying the former Ulinzi Stars midfielder a potential goal scoring opportunity.Wazito were woken up from slumber and put Gor Mahia under the cosh and again came close in the 67th minute when Geoffrey Ochieng cleared the ball off the line from a Kevin Kimani corner that was flicked on Michael Owino.Aiming to profit from the sustained pressure Kimanzi made a triple substitution, resting Amos Asembeka, Levin Odhiambo, Michael Owino and introduced the fresh legs of Whyvonne Isuza, Dennis Ng’ang’a and Eric Otieno.Wazito threatened from set pieces as another dangerous delivery from a Kevin Kimanzi corner was hooked off the line by Philemon Otieno from a header by Isuza as K’Ogalo defended their hearts out to prevent them from going down in the final five minutes of the game.Both teams settled for a barren draw as Gor Mahia failed to cut short KCB’s lead at the summit of the log.
