Gor Mahia beat Nyanza Combined 2-0 in a closely contested friendly match at Nyilima ground in Siaya County on Saturday.
The match was a culmination of the Eliud Owalo Super Cup that saw Homa Bay lift the crown on Thursday after beating Kisumu 4-2 on penalties following a barren draw during regulation time.
The scoreline was not the true reflection of the tight competition exhibited during the game as Nyanza Combined gave Kenya Premier League defending champions torrid moments; much to the excitement of the fans.
However, Gor’s experience carried the day with two quick-fire goals.
Benson Omalla scored the first goal in the 90th minute through a header before Alvin Ochieng scored the second goal three minutes later also through a header. The players braved the rains during the thrilling match which was attended by hundreds of soccer fans.
Nyanza Combined players were drawn from Kisumu, Siaya, Homa Bay, and Migori after the just concluded Eliud Owalo Super Cup.
Information, Communication and Digital Economy Cabinet Secretary, Eliud Owalo, under whose patronage the tournament was played, expressed his satisfaction with the display of talent.
“This event has gone beyond my expectations and I want to thank the technical team that put this tournament together. It has been all smooth starting from the county level up to now," he said.
Owalo announced that next year, the tournament will include teams from Kisii and Nyamira counties in a bid to ensure no talent in the larger Nyanza region goes untapped.
"There is an abundance of talent here. Next year, we will have Kisii and Nyamira counties and then we will grow it into something much bigger in the subsequent year," he said.
Owalo said the women's teams will also be tagged along next year to ensure the talent amongst them is also nurtured
"Next year, we will explore the possibility of coming up with a women’s version of this tournament. We can't leave them behind because there are a lot of talented girls in the region,” he said.
On the players who made it to the Nyanza Combined team, Owalo said the technical team is in discussion to come up with a means of exploiting the talents for greater engagements.
“Sports is the single most effective way of bringing about national unity due to the ability of the love of the game to glue fans together,” ‘Owalo said.