The Kenyan heavyweights were exempted from the initial round owing to their ranking on the continent
Gor Mahia will play Sudanese side Al-Ahly Merowe in the second preliminary round of the 2021/22 Caf Confederation Cup.
The Kenyan heavyweights were exempted from the initial round of the annual competition as they are among the top-ranked teams.
This is the first time in four years K’Ogalo are starting in the second-tier competition. Since 2017, they have been dining against the big boys in Caf Champions League until Tusker FC dethroned them.
How did Al-Ahly Merowe perform in the initial round?
The Sudanese outfit was paired with Atlabara of South Sudan in the first preliminary round. They started their campaign on September 11 away at Al-Ubayyid Stadium and gained a massive advantage after emerging 2-0 victors.
In that particular encounter, Abdelkarim Mutwakil was unfortunate to turn the ball into his own net to hand the visitors a lead after just 12 minutes.
The second strike happened in the 52nd minute, courtesy of Gahdia Siddig.
In the second meeting played on September 9 at the same venue, Siddig was on target after 44 minutes to give his team a slim advantage after the first half. Muaz Abdelhalim Kafi scored in the 87th minute to ensure Al-Ahly advanced 4-0 on aggregate.
When are Gor Mahia playing Al-Ahly?
K’Ogalo will start their first leg away at Al-Ubayyid Stadium on October 15, with the second leg set to be played a week later at Nyayo Stadium.
Last season, the Kenyans had qualified for the Caf Champions League and they did well by eliminating APR of Rwanda 4-3 on aggregate in the first preliminary round. They, however, were humiliated by CR Belouizdad in the next round after an 8-1 thumping on aggregate.
They dropped to the second-tier competition where they had to get past Napsa Stars to get in the group stage. At home, they lost by a solitary goal before drawing 2-2 away and were eventually eliminated after an aggregate 3-2 loss.
The aggregate winner between Gor Mahia and Al-Ahly will advance to the final preliminary round.
Source: Source: Goal
