Gor Mahia edge past Murang'a Seal to punch Mozzart Bet Cup final ticket

Gor Mahia will have a chance of winning a piece of silverware this season after fending off resilient Murang’a Seal on post-match penalties to book their place in the 2025 Mozzart Bet Cup finals.

Following yet another dramatic week behind the scenes, FKF Premier League defending champions Gor Mahia on Sunday 25 May kept steady heads to win 5-3 on penalties after being forced to an entertaining 2-2 draw in regular time at Dandora Stadium.

Visiting Murang'a Seal looked poised to pull an upset in the fierce semifinal after taking an early lead in the sixth minute through Michael Owen, only for K'Ogalo to produce an emphatic comeback in six second-half minutes.

Bryson Wangai scored just 12 minutes after coming on from the bench, before man-of-the-match Alpha Onyango found the top-corner with a delightful curler that gave the hosts the upper-hand.

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Seal however had other intentions as Wilson Kamau leveled the scores with a back-post header in the 74th minute, ending the contest to penalties.

That was the moment Gor Mahia keeper Gad Matthews took matters to his own hands - and legs - saving a Harun Mwale spot-kick, before slamming home his own to send the Green Army to their first domestic cup final in four years.

The game's build-up, atleast from a Gor Mahia standpoint, had not been ideal, given the events of the week that led to the exit of head coach Sinisa Mihic, with the much-maligned Zedekiah Otieno taking over on an interim basis.

Left-back Geoffrey Ochieng looked to have been carrying the after-effects of that haze after being caught cold by Seal skipper John Kiplagat, who left his opposite captain in a daze to cross in for Owen to score on his second attempt.

Mathews had reacted quickly to repel the forward's shot, but could not deny him twice as the rebound found the net.

The rest of the first-half seemed to paint a picture of how poor Gor Mahia have been in the league so far this season, as the men in green struggled to threaten keeper Wilson Mwangi.

Murang'a Seal kept their shape till the break, and it was only until Otieno shuffled his park at halftime, that Gor Mahia started making inroads.

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Wangai, brought on for the largely ineffective Ben Stanley Omondi, wasted no time in making his impact felt, as he leapt highest to head in a Philemon Otieno cross from the right for the equalizer.

Alpha Onyango on this day looked hungry for a goal, and with his second long-range attempt just six minutes after the leveler, sent the home crowd into delirium after curving a ball past a rooted Mwangi and into the top-left corner.

All rise for the imminent finalists, the K'Ogalo fans thought, only for Kamau to complicate matters close to the end.

Matthews had different intentions.

All roads lead to the final then, where Gor Mahia meets the winner of Mara Sugar and Nairobi United.