Gor Mahia fans in full voice at Nyayo Stadium.
NAIROBI, May 17- Rwandese international Meddie Kagere scored a breathtaking goal to inspire champions Gor Mahia to turn in a five-star performance when they blew-apart bottom side Nakuru All Stars 5-0 to extend their lead at the top of the Kenyan Premier League on Sunday.
The televised match at Nairobi’s Nyayo National Stadium will long be etched in memory after Kagere’s wizardly bamboozled All Stars keeper to score what is an early candidate for goal of the season for his brace with Michael Olunga, a penalty from Victor Ali Abondo and Harun Shakava’s late header sealing the emphatic win.
Elsewhere, title chasing Tusker FC fell off the wagon when struggling KCB stunned them 1-0 at Nairobi’s City Stadium as Ulinzi Stars marched on by beating home team Thika United 2-1 with resurgent 2008 champions, Mathare United edging Western Stima 2-1 in the first of the double header at Nyayo.
Sofapaka rose to third, same number of points with second placed AFC Leopards on 21 with a 2-1 victory over Sony Sugar with unbeaten Gor 12 ahead of the pack.
Gor opened the floodgates in the second half as they bid to be the first team to finish the first half of the season unbeaten with three games left.
“We were lifted by the first goal since All Stars were working extremely hard so I was a bit concerned but once it came it gave the boys morale. I’m impressed with the team’s good display. Kagere has settled well, he works hard to assist and score goals. He has a potential to score many goals,” Gor head coach Frank Nuttall said after the win.
His opposite number, Peter Okidi turned to biased officiating to explain his team’s capitulation offering, “The fourth official had added two minutes which had already elapsed by the time we conceded the goal so if the referee could have stick on that the match could have ended goalless at the first half. In the second half we donated goals to them.”
All Stars custodian, Shyne Indimuli was sensational in the first-half doing well to Ali Abondo, Olunga and Kagere before the latter broke the deadlock on the fifth minute of added on time at the end of the period.
Gor, who entered the encounter at the back of a barren draw at Stima, showed early intent of getting back to their winning ways with Kagere’s bicycle kick missing the target by inches.
Poor clearance from Indimuli at the quarter hour mark could have seen All Stars concede the opener but Rwandese international failed to capitalise on the glorious chance, blasting wide from Olunga’s pass from close range in what could amount as a miss of the season.
More frustration for the Green Army who were at good voice was to come with Collins Okoth’s header rattling the cross bar from a Kirim Nzigiyimana thrown in.
All Stars only chance came in the 40th but veteran Hillary Echesa shot wide instead of chipping over Gor keeper Boniface Oluoch who had come off his line.
Kagere who has started his KPL life on fire ensured the champions went to the break when he scored with a low header past Indimuli from an Abuoba Sibomana delivery.
The champions returned from the breather firing on all cylinders with Indimuli denying Abondo who unleashed a cracker minutes after restart before Elias Kipkeboi cleared Olunga’s effort off the line.
With 20 minutes to full time, Gor ran riot, with Olunga getting them on their way when he placed his header past Indimuli from a Sibomana cross for his sixth of the campaign.
Two minutes later, Kipkemboi gifted Gor a penalty when he muscled Olunga down to the turf in the box with Abondo making no mistake from the spot for his eighth of the campaign to move level with Leopard’s Jacob Keli on top of the scoring charts.
Then the moment of magic arrived. Teddy Simwa delivered a poor back pass that Kagere raced on to and left Indimuli rooted to the ground when he mesmerised him with a dizzying turn then a back flick that took him put him of the equation before calmly placing the ball to the net for his brace and eighth strike of the campaign.
There was still time for defender Shakava to add gross to the scoreline when he ghosted into the box and netted with a header in stoppage town to set off manic celebrations among the Green Army who made a triumphant noisy entry to Nairobi’s Central Business District in song and dance.
