Kenya’s representatives in the CAF Champions League, Tusker, have been brutally bundled out of the competition at the second round by Carthage kings Zamalek.The Kenyan champions succumbed to a 4-0 routing at the Borg el Arab stadium in Alexandria, Egypt on Friday night to exit on a 5-0 aggregate loss following their 1-0 capitulation in Nairobi last weekend.Two quickfire goals by Ibrahim Obama and Gezeiry E set Zamalek on course to the group stage as they plunged Tusker into a deeper hole whose only route out led to the second tier Confederation Cup.Going into the match, Tusker needed a multiple-goal victory in Egypt to overturn the Nairobi loss, a near impossibility in the Carthage cauldron, and going down two goals in 20 minutes left Robert Matano’s charges with a certain expulsion from the elite competition.🔚 It’s over. A great win tonight⚽️ Zamalek SC 4️⃣ 🆚 0️⃣ Tusker FC🏆 CAF Champions League🏟 Borg El-Arab🔝We qualify to the Group stage #CAFCL#CHAMP13NS | #Zamalek | #MostTitledIn20C pic.twitter.com/2j8RID6W7s— Zamalek SC English (@ZSCOfficial_EN) October 22, 2021 They needed to find four goals for a berth in the lucrative group stage. It was never to be firstly as Matano’s game plan had earlier been trashed when experienced defender Charles Momanyi was substituted inside two minutes owing to injury. His place taken by Humphrey Mieno, a midfielder by trade and an offensive one by specialisation. Soon after, the cracks at the back opened up and Zamalek wasted no time in seizing the opportunity.We are forced to make a change inside the first two minutes. Momanyi has to come out injured and us replaced by Hum. pic.twitter.com/zpADPFAurz— 🏆Tusker FC (@tusker_fc) October 22, 2021 Eleven minutes in, the five-time African champions took advantage as Obama capitalized on a Patrick Matasi handling error as the ball was floated in from a Zamalek set piece. The experienced Kenyan international, who was making his debut since returning at the club, failing to collect the aerial ball on two occasions thus allowing Obama to head in amidst the goal mouth scramble.Before the dust had settled, El-Gezeiry struck for the White Knights again eight minutes after the first goal to double his team’s advantage even before twenty minutes were played in what promised to be a long night for the reigning Kenyan champions.HALFTIME AT THE BORG EL ARAB STADIUM.Zamalek 2-0 Tusker FC.#KenyaMilele #Brewers4Life— 🏆Tusker FC (@tusker_fc) October 22, 2021 Not even the double substitution of John Njuguna and Shami Kibwana in place of Ibrahim Joshua and Boniface Muchiri in the second half could save Tusker’s sure sinking ship. First leg tormentor Achraf Bencharki managed to find his second goal of the tie and his team’s third of the night on the 72nd minute. Two minutes later, Obama bagged his brace in the match as he drove the final nail in the Brewer’s coffin with the fourth goal that condemned Tusker to a 5-0 aggregate loss.Following the exit from the Champions League, Tusker still get another shot at continental football as they drop to the Confederations Cup where they they will get a two legged playoff match, which if they win, they will make it to the group stages of the second fiddle tournament.FULL TIME IN ALEXANDRIA.Zamalek 4-0 Tusker FC.We will drop to the CAF Confederations Cup.— 🏆Tusker FC (@tusker_fc) October 22, 2021
