Back in 10th January 2021, Kenya’s most decorated club – Gor Mahia, through a post on Twitter, confirmed the appointment of 46 year old Portuguese tactitian Carlos Manuel Vaz Pinto as their new head coach on a two year deal.Pinto had been brought as a replacement for Roberto Oliveira whose qualifications had been questioned first by CAF and then by Football Kenya Federation, both bodies citing the Brazilian head coach as not up to the task after problems with his coaching papers, leaving Gor to settle on Sammy ‘Pamzo’ Omollo for a while before the Portuguese’s arrival.On the day of his announcement – Sunday morning, Gor were scheduled to play Kariobangi Sharks in the afternoon and the record Kenyan champions ended up losing 4-3 in a thrilling contest played at the Kasarani Annex. Although present in the game, Pinto only watched his new team’s performance from the stands.And on Saturday morning, July 10th 2021, Mozzart Sport broke the news of Pinto ditching the club after exactly six months into his two year contract as he decided to return to his native Portugal after a difficult time with K’Ogalo.⚽️| Official: Portuguese tactician Vaz Pinto brings his stay at Gor Mahia to an end#Sirkal #GorMahia #BKPL #VazPinto https://t.co/EzEtnh9CAC— Mozzart Sport Kenya (@MozzartSportKe) July 10, 2021 This episode of The Breakdown brings into attention the numbers of that six month spell that saw Gor crush out of the CAF Confederations Cup, stutter in the first half of the league, resuscitate their season and eventually grab a ticket that took them back to the Confederations Cup after a win over their fiercest rivals. Let’s dive in!Total Matches Played= 29During his stay with the Green Army, Pinto oversaw a total number of twenty nine games at the club. 21 in the league, six in the cup tournament and two in the CAF Confederation Cup.NumbersTotal Matches Played (All Competitions)= 29Total Wins= 18Total Defeats = 7Total Draws = 4Overall Winning Percentage= 62.07%Pinto’s winning percentage at Gor Mahia in all competitionsLeagueLeague Matches 21League Wins = 12League Defeats = 6League Draws = 3League Winning Percentage = 57.14%ResultsGor 3-1 Mathare UnitedPicked his first win over Mathare United in his first match on the Gor touchlines, Charles Momanyi, Kenneth Muguna and Samuel Onyango causing damage in the 3-1 victory.Western Stima 1-3 GorGor 0-1 Vihiga UnitedA late Dennis Wafula goal with only four minutes left on the clock was enough for Vihiga to stun Gor and hand Pinto his first defeat at the club thirteen days after taking over.Gor 3-0 Zoo FCBandari 1-3 GorGor 0-0 AFC LeopardsGot a draw in his first Mashemeji test following the barren draw played at Kasarani Stadium.Nzoia Sugar 2-1 GorKakamega Homeboyz 1-2 GorGor 0-2 KCBGor 0-1 Posta RangersBidco United 1-3 Gor This game marked the start of a seven game winning streak for Gor Mahia.Gor 1-0 Nairobi City StarsSofapaka 1-2 GorVihiga United 0-1 GorWazito 0-1 GorMathare United 0-1 GorGor 0-1 SofapakaGor 0-0 WazitoGor 1-2 Western StimaStima silenced Gor in Thika to bring to an end a seven match winning streak and an eight match unbeaten run.Gor 0-0 BandariTusker 2-1 GorPinto’s last game in charge at Gor ended in defeat. Tusker defender Eugene Asike scoring in the 90th minute to complete his side’s comeback in the gameBy the time Pinto was taking over after the 4-3 loss to Sharks, Gor sat in 16th on the log on three points after three games played where they won one and lost the other two.Twelve wins, three draws and six defeats later, a run that included an imperious seven game winning streak, Gor currently sit in fourth position in the league on 39 points.
Cup Tournament 6Cup Wins = 6/6Cup Defeats = 0/6Cup Winning Percentage = 100%ResultsCongo Boys 0-3 – Round of 64Gor 5-0 Cussco – Round of 32Gor 2-1 Mara Sugar – Round of 16Gor 2-0 Kariobangi Sharks – Quarter FinalsGor 1(4)-(1)1 Bidco United – Semi FinalsGor 0 (4)-(1)0 AFC Leopards – Finals Champions 🏆🤩@OfficialGMFC #FKFCupFinals pic.twitter.com/kjmVCWnMUB— FKF Betway Cup (@FKFCup) July 4, 2021 HonoursPinto managed to end Gor Mahia’s eight year wait for a cup trophy as he led his side to victory in the 2021 Football Kenya Federation Cup, beating bitter rivals AFC Leopards 4-1 on post-match penalties following a barren draw in regulation time to lift what would be his only achievement with the club.Coach Carlos Vaz Pinto and team …👏👏👏#Sirkal | #Betsafe pic.twitter.com/g98UMMM37O— 🏆 – GOR MAHIA FC (@OfficialGMFC) July 4, 2021 Mashemeji DerbyFor any Gor Mahia coach, the Mashemeji Derby is one of the tests used to gauge your ‘ability’. Fortunately for Pinto, he masterminded a win when needed the most to send Gor back to continental football when it looked unlikely.CAF Continental Matches – 2Continental Draws = 1/2Continental Defeats = 1/2ResultsGor 0-1 Napsa Stars (Zambia)Napsa Stars 2-2 GorHeart break for Gor Mahia. Napsa Stars have scored from the penalty spot in the 98th minute.Match ends 2-2 and 3-2 on aggregate. The Goal knocks out the Kenyan representatives.Looking at the myriad of challenges they faced, that was a superb show from them. #CAFCC pic.twitter.com/TZz6qChEPx— Ole Teya (@Kevin_teya) February 21, 2021