Record Kenyan champions Gor Mahia made further steps towards the FKF Premier League summit after blowing away Thursday’s opposition at Kasarani stadium.Youthful Talanta were the unfortunate opponents of a K’Ogalo squad battling to regain lost glory and 3-0 was the scoreline.Gor who are set to renew their football rivalry with Leopards at Nyayo Stadium whipped the off colour Talanta to bag the seventh win in the campaign.K’Ogalo who dominated in either halves scored all the three goals in the first half to move to third on the log with twenty three points, one off the two top teams; Tusker and Nzoia Sugar.AFC Leopards and Gor Mahia face off in yet another #MashemejiDerby on Sunday.Who comes out on top?#FKFPL pic.twitter.com/F9shM3fgh0— FKF Premier League (@Officialfkfpl) January 26, 2023 Reacting to the loss, Talanta head coach Kenneth Kenyatta said the game would have taken a different dimension had the referee not disallowed their goal scored early in the game.”We were denied a clear goal by the referee. Had he made the right decision, then we would not have lost the game. We have to prepare for the next game this weekend even though I doubt my players will have had enough rest,” he said.His Gor Mahia counterpart Jonathan McKinstry was over the moon after warning up for the first leg of the Mashemeji Derby with a win.”That was solid performance from the boys. We are aware that we have an important game this weekend against Leopards but make no mistake, the three points from Talanta game are as important as those from any other game including the derby. I call upon fans from either teams to turn up in large numbers for the game,” he said.Barrack Odhiambo thought that he had given Talanta the lead in the sixth minute after poking home the ball from close range but the centre referee chalked it off for an infringement in the build up.Talanta failed to build on the momentum, allowing Gor to grow into the game and ask questions in their area on a number 9f occasions. Gor broke the deadlock in the ninth minute through Joshua Mahero who headed come a corner ball delivered Ugandan playmaker Peter Lwasa.The on-form Benson Omala who had knocked on the Talanta goal and caused the backline all sorts of trouble doubled the lead for K’Ogalo in the 19th minute, pouncing on a long pass to slot the ball past Kevin Olang’o.##EDITORS_CHOICE##The goal meant that the burly forward had taken his tally to ten goals in the campaign and looks like the favourite player to win the best scorer’s award at the end of the season given his form and the gap between him and the second best forward in the competition.After conceding the second goal, Talanta committed numbers in their half looking to manage the damage and catch Gor on the break.The tact worked well as the clock ticked by however,a terrific run by Geoffrey Ochieng on the left wing in the dying seconds of the first half breached the Talanta wall as the left back whipped a lovely cut back to John Macharia who found the back of the net to give Gor the third goal.Talanta looked a little bit lively in the second half as the fresh legs thrown in before restart help ed stabilize the midfield that was underwhelmed in the first half.However, the Kenneth Kenyatta coached team found it difficult in translating possession into goals or meaningful attack as Gor were equal to the challenge.Gor players who at some point could be seen knocking the ball around as if they were in a training session bossed the game up to the final whistle to secure maximum points.Gor Mahia Gad Mathews, Paul Ochuoga,Geoffrey Ochieng (PhilemonOtieno 46),Dennis Ng’ang’a,Joshua Mahero, John Ochieng,Alpha Onyango, George Odhiambo (LloydKhavuchi 46),John Macharia,Peter Lwasa (John Nyawir 80), Benson Omala (Peter Oudu 65)Unused substitutes Caleb Otieno (Gk),Ernest Wendo,Boniface Omondi,Austin Odhiambo,Sydney Ochieng, FC Talanta Kevin Olang’o,Shela Mandela, Peter Njammah,Erick Lusala (VincentOwino 46),Ian Omondi (AlvinOchieng 46), Luis Masika,Barrack Odhiambo,Michael Jairo,Alex Lungaji (Castro Ogendo 46, Alphric Omondi 80),Rodgers Angal (December Kisaka 28),Brian Yakhama Unused substitutes James Omusinde (Gk)
