Pinto eager to end Gor Mahia eight-year cup drought

Gor Mahia head coach Manuel Vaz Pinto has set his sights on quenching K’Ogalo’s eight-year thirst for the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Cup after a 5-0 thumping of Cambridge Universal College (CUSCO).

The reigning league champions are now set to face Mara Sugar FC in the FKF Cup Round of 16 on Sunday 6th June at the Ruaraka Grounds.

A brace from Tito Okello and John Macharia coupled with a goal from Joachim Oluoch were enough to see Gor Mahia progress to the final 16.

Speaking after the win, Pinto made it clear that he intends to win the Cup that has eluded Gor Mahia for a number of seasons since they last beat Sofapaka in the 2012 final. 

“It is very important to give some minutes to the players who normally play fewer minutes and I'm happy because some of them showed good signs and I'm also happy about the result,”

“I look forward to the next game always and the next game is to win if we are in this Cup our goal is to win. For me, all games are important if it’s Cup if it league they are all important because of that we look to win this Cup,” said Pinto. 

The Cup may present Gor Mahia with the best chance of qualifying for the CAF Confederation Cup after a two-year absence. CAF issued a communication requiring federations across the continent to submit teams participating in the Champions League by June 30th.

The Green Army have not had the rub of the green in the tournament after being knocked out on penalties in four of the last six tournaments, including three consecutive penalty shootout losses in 2017, 2018 and 2019.