Coach Akonnor upbeat as Gor Mahia chase title in Kigali

Gor Mahia’s coach, Charles Akonnor, is confident that his team can make history by ending their 41-year wait for the Cecafa Kagame Cup title when they play Rayon Sports, the hosts, in today’s final in Kigali.

Speaking to Nation Sport from Rwanda, Akonnor said that, despite several injury setbacks which will see some of his key players miss Friday’s action, his team is ready for the challenge and are hopeful of winning.

“We are going to play attacking football and score goals. Our opponents are a high-scoring side, so we have to score goals too,” Akonnor said.

Read: Cecafa final run boosts Gor Mahia CAF Champions League dream

“This is an important game that we can’t afford to gamble with. We have to show discipline, fight for the team and make history,” said the 50-year-old Ghanaian coach.

The highly anticipated match will take place at the 22,000-seater Kigali Pele Stadium from 6 pm (Kenyan time).

The match will be preceded by the third-place play-off between South Sudan’s Jamus SC and Sudanese giants Al Hilal Omdurman.

Gor Mahia reached the final by beating Al Hilal Omdurman 8–7 on penalties after a 1–1 draw in normal time.

Meanwhile, Rayon Sports booked their place in the final with a convincing 2-0 victory over Jamus SC, and will be seeking to defend their title.

Gor Mahia won the semi-final despite playing with 10 men after midfielder Jackson Dwang’ was sent off early in the game. Dwang will miss the final match through suspension.

Al Hilal are among the sponsors of this year’s tournament, having injected Sh12.9 million.

Also unavailable are strikers Samuel Kapen and Patrick Essombe, as well as captain and defender Sylvester Owino, all of whom are sidelined with injuries.

However, Gor received a timely boost with the return of assistant captain Alpha Onyango, who was serving a suspension after being sent off in their final Group A match against Garde Républicaine of Djibouti.

“We will miss Essombe, Kapen, Owino and Dwang’, who are truly my key players. But their absence also gives other players in the squad the chance to step up and win this final for us,” said Akonnor.

Read: ‘I will expose my detractors, then leave’: Coach Akonnor’s terse warning to Gor Mahia

“We have planned for this game both physically and tactically, so we are not worried. We will play by taking the game to their half.”

In attack, Akonnor is expected to rely on Paul Okoth and Ebenezer Koffi Assifuah, who have already scored two and one goals respectively during this year’s tournament.

With Owino unavailable, the 29-year-old Ghanaian new signing Ebenezer Ocran will partner Michael Kibwage in central defence. The duo will have to keep a close watch on Rayon Sports’ lethal striker, Anthony Kossivi, who has scored twice in the competition.

“The best way to win a final is with discipline and attacking. We played Rayon in a friendly two weeks ago, and they beat us,. That game helped us to study them, so we now know who we are playing,” said Akonnor.

The coach was referring to Rayon Sports Day on July 18, when the Rwandan champions defeated Gor Mahia 2–0 in a friendly match.

It was a difficult game for Kibwage, who found it hard to contain Rayon forward Nizeyimana Moubarak, while midfielder Junior Kameni repeatedly supplied dangerous passes. The two clubs last met competitively in the second round of the 2018 CAF Confederation Cup, where Rayon Sports advanced with an aggregate score of 2–1.

Gor Mahia won the Cecafa Club Championship title in 1980, 1981 and 1985.

The tournament has provided valuable preparation for Gor Mahia ahead of next month’s CAF Champions League preliminary round.

The winners will pocket $30,000 (Sh3.8 million), while the runners-up and third-placed teams will earn $20,000 (Sh2.5 million) and $10,000 (Sh1.2 million), respectively. 

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