AFC Leopards hope to end derby jinx As AFC Leopards prepare to battle Gor Mahia in Sunday’s high-billed derby, the million dollar question is whether this time they will indeed manage to stop the high riding Gor on their track. Gor Mahia has dominated the last three meetings between the two sides winning twice and drawing once. That and the team’s current fine form gives K’Ogalo a slight edge over Ingwe going into Sunday’s match. Last season when the two teams met in the first leg, the match ended in a barren draw at a time K’Ogalo were going through a rough patch. However, in the second leg, Gor slew the Leopards with dreadlocked Ugandan forward Dan Sserunkuma claiming a brace. The pintsized attacker’s first goal was a simple tap in after Patrick Matasi ahd tipped Kevin Omondi’s piledriver against the upright. Moments later the Ugandan import settled the contest with a screamer after Bernard Mang’oli from Moses Odhiambo’s short corner. Leopards came back strongly in the second half and veteran striker Mike Baraza scored a consolation goal for a 2-1 final scoreline. The match would set the stage for a three-horse race to the finish line that also involved eventual champions Tusker. This season, in the first leg, Gor emerged triumphant yet again winning 1-0 in a match that Leopards completely dominated proceedings. Running battles The match at the Nyayo National Stadium was however, marred by ugly scenes of running battles between the opposing fans that led to a brief disruption of the action. Predictably, the style of play employed by the two sides has been as different as daylight from night. While Leopards have taken to a fluid free flowing approach characterised by maximum ball possession, Gor have preferred hitting back swiftly on the counter. Even though Zdravko Logarusic, the man who mastered minded Gor Mahia’s latest conquest over Leopards, is long gone, K’Ogalo will most likely employ the same strategy against Leopards on Sunday. The good news for Leopards is that their tormentor in chief, Sserunkuma, has lost form and has not been featuring prominently for Gor in recent matches. The Ugandan may as well not play a key role in the fixture. AFC Leopards chairman Allan Kasavuli, on the other hand, is unfazed bu his team’s recent defeats to Gor Mahia. “The team is in fine shape. Traning has hit top gear after we secured an ample training ground,” Kasavuli said. “The players know the enormity of the match and as an office we will reward them handsomely if they come out victorious in the match.” “Sunday’s contest will just be like any other match and we want both sets of fans to enjoy and maintain peace. Fans must realise that at the end of the day, there can only be one winner,” he added. The team was on Thursday taken through their paces by Belgian head coach Luc Eymael who returned to the country on Tuesday and his presence is expected to motivate the players.
Posted on: Fri, 23 Aug 2013 10:00:01 +0000
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