Caf Champions League: Gor Mahia book date with Algeria’s CR Belouizdad

Gor Mahia will face CR Belouizdad of Algeria in the second preliminary round of the Caf Champions League.

The Kenyan champions qualified for the next phase of the competition after they managed to secure a 4-3 aggregate win against APR of Rwanda in a two-legged affair.

The Rwandan champions came into the return leg with a 2-1 advantage from their first leg meeting in Kigali, but could not sustain the pressure as Gor Mahia scored two quick goals in added time to win 3-1 and advance.

On the other hand, CR Belouizdad of Algeria reached the next round after a 4-0 aggregate win against Al Nasr of Libya. The Algerian champions won the first leg away in Tripoli 2-0 and returned home to complete the job with another 2-0 win and will now face K’Ogalo.

According to the Confederation of African Football (Caf), the first leg will be played on December 22 or 23 in Algeria, with the return leg planned for January 5 or 6, 2021 in Nairobi.

The last time Gor Mahia played against an Algerian opponent was in 2019 when they were drawn to face USM Alger in the same competition.

USM Alger came to Nairobi and beat K’Ogalo 4-1 and returned home in Algiers to win the return leg 2-0 and advance to the next round with a 6-1 aggregate scoreline.

The two teams also met in the Confederation Cup in the 2018 season with the first leg staged in Kenya ending in a 0-0 draw before USM Alger won the return leg 2-1 at home to advance 2-1 on aggregate.

In 2019, Gor Mahia was also drawn to face Algerian side Hussein Dey in the Confederation Cup, and they won the first leg staged in Nairobi 2-0 but lost away 1-0 to claim a 2-1 aggregate win.

Meanwhile, Tanzania champions Simba SC will take on FC Platinum of Zimbabwe in the second round of the competition.

The Wekundu wa Msimbazi qualified for the next phase after securing a 1-0 aggregate win against Nigerian outfit Plateau United.

Simba won the first leg played in Abuja 1-0 courtesy of a Clatous Chama goal and claimed a 0-0 draw in the return leg played at Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam on Saturday.

On the other hand, Platinum made it to the next round on a 4-1 aggregate win after eliminating Costa De Sol of Mozambique. The Zimbabwean champions won the first leg played in Maputo 2-1 before claiming a 2-0 win in the return leg played in Harare on Saturday.

The first leg of the Simba vs Platinum will be played on December 22 or 23 in Zimbabwe with the return leg planned for Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam on January 5 or 6, 2021.

Uganda will have no representative in the second round of the competition after champions Vipers SC were eliminated by Al-Hilal of Sudan 2-0 on aggregate.