Gor Mahia FC coach Leonardo Neiva focused on the silver lining after his club faced a 3-0 defeat against champions Al Ahly in a CAF Champions League second preliminary round return leg match at Cairo International Stadium.Rebi Salim, Wessam Abou, and Taher Mohammed scored for the hosts, completing a 6-0 aggregate victory after Al Ahly’s similar win in Nairobi the previous week.As a result, Kenya lacks representation on the continental stage, with Kenya Police FC also exiting the CAF Confederation Cup after their 2-1 loss to Zamalek SC on Friday. On aggregate, they lost 3-1.We are not like Gor Mahia, Tusker or Police- MatanoFrom the start, it was clear that Gor Mahia’s journey in the tournament would be challenging against a team with 12 CAF Champions League titles. The outcome of the game largely aligned with pre-tournament predictions.Despite the defeat in Cairo, coach Neiva chose to highlight the positives.He emphasized that the match served as valuable experience for his largely youthful team, which he believes will pay off in the long run.”We must accept the defeat, especially since we were away, but the players gave a good account of themselves,” he said. “Al Ahly plays at another level, making this game very important for us. We aimed to provide our players with experience at this level, hence the changes, for exposure.”##NAJAVA_MECA_8350698##Assessing the game in Cairo the Brazilian expressed satisfaction with his players’ performance, noting that they only struggled to capitalize on their chances.”We played well and gave our best. The first goal came from a set piece, and the second came when they broke through our lines. In the second half, I shifted our formation to a 4-3-3. We performed well, but we need to improve in the offensive third as we missed several opportunities. However, I am pleased with the players’ attitude,” he added.Gor Mahia will now shift their focus to the local scene, with their first match of the season against Mathare United in Machakos next weekend. The team will continue their preparations in Cairo before flying back on Tuesday.Is Victor Wanyama living on borrowed time at Montreal?”We will organize a recovery session for the players on Sunday, followed by a gym session on Monday here in Egypt. On Tuesday, we fly back, and the players will have a day off. On Wednesday, we return to training to prepare for three days, leading up to Saturday’s match. We want to carry this experience into our Premier League campaign,” the explained.Neiva aims to guide the club to its 22nd title.
