Gor Mahia player ratings against Napsa Stars

Gor Mahia endured a frustrating afternoon on Sunday against Napsa Stars in the CAF Confederation Cup Play-Offs with most of their playing performing below par.

Boniface Oluoch 5

Oluoch’s experience came in handy in the clash as he came out to collect all the crosses that were floated into his box.

He was rarely tested by the Napsa Stars forward line as the visitors sat deep and aimed to tighten their regard ahead of the return clash at home.

Philemon Otieno 5

The natural midfielder was deployed in the right-back position once again but failed to add to Gor Mahia’s attacking threat as he did little going forward.

He, however, had a better game while defending as he nullified most of the threats on the right flank.

Charles Momanyi 5

The former Kakamega Homeboyz defender could have done better with his headers in the opposition box from the numerous corners that Gor Mahia earned.

Momanyi did well in defence as he made a number of important tackles and covered up well when either of the full-backs had pushed up the field.

Andrew Juma 3

Juma has had a nightmare start at Gor Mahia following his move from Mathare United as he has been found culpable for a number of goals the club has conceded.

He particularly did not have the best of games against Napsa Stars as his error led to the goal in the dying minutes of the game with his botched clearance. 

Geoffrey Ochieng 3

It was surprising to see Napsa Stars award Ochieng the man of the match but probably the accolade might have been earned after providing an assist for Daniel Adoko.

He might have been forgiven for being played out of position as he is a natural right-back but can comfortably use both feet.

Ernest Wendo 5

Wendo had one of those rare games where he failed to pick up a yellow card as he perfectly timed the few tackles that he made in the game.

He, however, failed to provide a seamless link between defence and midfield as Momanyi and Juma opted to float in most balls to the final third.

Alphonse Onyango 4

Onyango did not put a foot wrong in the game as he completed most of his passes but lacked the much-needed creativity to unlock the sturdy Napsa defence.

He still has time on his side as he was only promoted from the youth side back in February and is definitely one to watch out for in the future.

Kenneth Muguna 5

Napsa Stars had done their homework against Gor Mahia and knew their attacking threat relied on Muguna, offering him little space in the game.

In the dying minutes of the game, Muguna was forced to fall deep and act as a deep-lying playmaker in order to drive the ball forward.

Nicholas Kipkirui 3

Kipkirui is the sort of player who you never know when he might turn up and unfortunately for Gor he did not turn up against Napsa Stars.

His aerial ability was not maximized by Gor Mahia as he struggled to link up with Jules Ulimwengu upfront.

Clifton Miheso 4

The former AFC Leopards midfielder showed glimpses of what he is capable of in the game but lacked the cutting edge to hurt Napsa.

He was one of the few players who was able to drive with the ball to beat the block that Napsa had set up for the game.

Jules Ulimwengu 3

The forward is yet to create a formidable strike partnership with any of the Gor Mahia players despite notching four goals in the league so far.

He was bereft of service upfront with the balls that were fed to him were either overcooked or were easily intercepted by the Napsa defence.

Substitutes

Samuel Onyango 4

Came on for Nicholas Kipkirui in the second half and brought in some impetus but his impact faded on as the game went on.

John Macharia 3

Machaira was thrown into the fray in place of Alphonse but had little impact in the game with his passes in the final third being poor.

Tito Okello 3

Okello was brought in by Vaz Pinto for Ulimwengu and it is hard making a judgement of his performance as he did not get the much needed service.

Sydney Ochieng 1

Came on in the 89th minute and barely had a touch on the ball, he was hoping to replicate the heroics of the APR game where he notched in added time.