Mashemeji Derby: 5 things learnt from AFC Leopards draw with Gor Mahia

For nearly a year, Kenyan football fans had been starved of one of the most heated rivalries in East African football—the Mashemeji Derby. 

So, when AFC Leopards and Gor Mahia finally locked horns at Nyayo Stadium, anticipation was at an all-time high.

 The atmosphere was electric, the stakes were high, and the fans showed up in massive numbers to witness the two Kenyan giants battle for supremacy.

PAY ATTENTION: Stay updated with the Latest Athletics News in Kenya from Pulse Sports.

While the game itself ended in a draw, the derby offered plenty of talking points, from the passionate crowd to lingering concerns over ticketing and the quality of football on display. Here are five key takeaways from the latest installment of this iconic fixture.

Just like it was the case with the Harambee Stars clash against Gabon at the same venue a week earlier, fans turned up in large numbers to witness the first Mashemeji Derby in nearly a year.

At some point, it looked like they were not going to turn up at all. By 2:30 PM, only one section of the stadium was filled out.

That would however change one hour later, as the fans were flocking into the stadium like it was going out of fashion. 

Several videos have circulated online of recordings showcasing the kind of attendance witnessed, and even a drone image by Azam Sports showed Nyayo Stadium had indeed filled to the brim.

Perhaps, the Kenya-Gabon game did set a precedence and showed Kenyans have the capacity to love football. Perhaps, it was also the fact that the derby had been postponed for far too long.

Maybe it is even the fact that Nyayo Stadium is finally available for use for the first time in a while. Regardless, the fans did show their commitment.

Although the fans turned up to support their teams, the e-ticketing system still needs to be refined ahead of the upcoming African Nations Championship (CHAN) set to take place on home soil come August.

The situation was so chaotic, the law enforcers had to unleash canisters of tear gas to settle the situation. 

Most times, the tickets were not verified, and others used fraudulent means to gain access to the stadium. Although the stadium can only hold a maximum of 30,000 individuals, the ground for certain did hold more people than it should have.

Moving forward, this is something that must be addressed.

Let us talk a little bit about football now. Fred Ambani’s AFC Leopards were the home side for this occasion.

Although they did enjoy a lot of possession, they did struggle to create inroads into the opposition half. Gad Matthews was barely tested in goal.

Contrast that to Levis Opiyo (more on him later) who did make a string of important saves to deny Gor Mahia from finding the back of the net, it showed that Leopards need to find solutions for their lack of difference makers in the team.

In the last two Mashemeji Derbies, AFC Leopards custodian Levis Opiyo found himself facing the wrath of angry supporters for his high-profile mistakes that cost them valuable points.

In the 2023 first-leg match held at Kasarani Stadium, Opiyo was faulted for leaving his line too early, allowing Gor Mahia’s Benson Omalla to lob the ball over him.

In the second leg at Nyayo Stadium, another goalkeeping error by Opiyo gifted Gor Mahia the win, as Austine Odhiambo’s press led to a high-profile gaffer, with the ball deflecting off Odhiambo and into the net.

Last September, Opiyo revealed in an interview that a Gor Mahia steward was the reason behind his derby struggles, accusing him of performing ‘juju’ in order to weaken him for those games.

The custodian swore to seek God’s intervention in order to nullify the alleged acts of witchcraft performed against him, and it looked like it worked this time round, as he looked unbeatable in goal all afternoon.

Perhaps, the spell may finally be broken.

Although the atmosphere created by the fans will leave long in the memory, the brand of football was not as impressive.

Both teams struggled to create chances of any meaningful quality, and the few times they did, they could not make them count. 

Perhaps, Gor Mahia coach is justified in saying that there aren’t many players of Austin Odhiambo’s quality in Kenya, with most goals coming from corners and set pieces.

AFC Leopards had loads of possession but minimal penetration. Gor Mahia mostly generated chances from shots outside the box. The quality of football on display was not the most enticing to say the least.