Kenyan international Joseph Okumu clocked 90 minutes as his KAA Gent side thumped Polish side Raków Częstochowa 3-0 while his counterpart Michael Olunga bagged a brace in Al Duhail’s 3-1 win over Al Sailiya in a pre-season clash. Joseph OkumuThe result meant that Gent punched a ticket to the UEFA Europa Conference League Group Stages, sealing a return back to European competitions after featuring in the UEFA Europa League last season. Okumu started in the familiar centre back role after featuring as a right back in a number of games since sealing the move from Swedish outfit Elfsborg back in July.Gent got the job done in the second leg after going down 1-0 in the reverse fixture courtesy of a goal from Andrzej Niewulis’ goal in the 64th minute and opted to sit out of their league clash over the weekend to prepare adequately for the second leg. ✅ Champions League✅ Europa League🔜 Conference League #gntrcz #UECL pic.twitter.com/4olrzKdoBT— KAA Gent (@KAAGent) August 26, 2021 After squandering a number of chances in the opening minutes Tarik Tissoudali opened the scoring for Gent, tapping in from close range after Laurent Depoitre’s cutback in the first minute of first-half stoppage time. Vadis Odjidja-Ofoe put Gent ahead in the tie for the first time (on aggregate) when his curling effort from outside the box found the back of the net 20 minutes from time.Częstochowa sunk their heads down as they conceded a third goal in quick succession after Julien De Sart’s volley from the edge of the 18-yard box beat the goalkeeper who was blinded by a sea of bodies ahead of him two minutes later after the second goal. Gent held on for the win to progress to the inaugural UEFA Europa Conference League Group Stages.Michael OlungaKenyan international Michael Olunga bagged a brace in Al Duhail’s 3-1 win over Qatari side Al Sailiya in a pre-season friendly. Full minutes ✅2 goals⚽️⚽️Pre season done ✅Clock ticking @DuhailSC pic.twitter.com/lJwqlDLBe1— MICHAEL OLUNGA (@OgadaOlunga) August 26, 2021 Fares Saeed opened the scoring for Al Duhail while Olunga bagged a brace to continue his hot streak ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Uganda and Rwanda in September. Fahd Khalfan scored Al Sailiya’s goal as both teams continue to fine-tune ahead of the new Qatar Stars League season that kicks off on Saturday 11 September.
