Gor and Leopards AFC to lock horns in Betway Cup finals

Kenyan champions Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards have set the stage for a mouth-watering Betway Cup finals on July 4.

Gor Mahia saw off Bidco United 5-1 on post-match penalties at Utalii grounds on Sunday as AFC went ahead to beat Division One side Equity 7-6 also on post-match  penalties after the sides had settled for a goal-less draw in regulation time in the second semi finals of the day at the same venue.

Leopards’ tactician Patrick Aussems extolled Equity for exhibiting great character to keep the 13-time Kenyan Champions on the edge of their seats throughout the match.

“They most certainly possess the mettle of a top flight football team and would deserve a slot in the Football Kenya Federation,” said Aussems.

“We shall momentarily now shift our focus to the FKF-PL as we prepare for the finals,” he added. Equity head coach John Baraza said they would be strutting from the pitch with their chins up, adding he believes his charges took some vital notes from the tough encounter.

“We definitely will be bowing out heads up. We dominated most of the play and I’m convinced we gathered some crucial lessons that will prove useful for us in our remaining league assignment,” said Baraza.

Gor tactician Vaz Pinto was elated with the performance, saying his players deserved a pat on the back for their commendable performance despite the congested fixtures.

“We definitely played well and should have won the match in regulation time but the red card slowed us down a bit,” said Pinto referring to an incident whereby defender Philemon Otieno received marching orders after a rash challenge on Zachary Gathu towards the end if the match.

Bidco tactician Anthony Akhulia extolled his team for shaking off their underdog tag heading into the tournament to gun down the more fancied giants on their way to the semis.

“We played well but we should have made better use of our numerous chances. We needed to take advantage of our numerical advantage, which we didn’t,” he said dejectedly.

“We still stand a good chance to prove ourselves in the league and I urge the boys to keep the momentum running,” said Akhulia. Kenneth Muguna’s 10th minute from a set-piece 20 yards out put Gor in the driving seat before David Orem cancelled the advantage in the 21st minute to send the teams to penalties.