This archive report was first published on 16 September 2019.
On Sunday night, Kenyan Premier League champions Gor Mahia suffered a crushing 4-1 defeat at the hands of Algerian side USM Alger in the first leg of the CAF Champions League first round in Blida.
USM Alger's Zakaria Benchaa and Mohammed Meftaah each scored a brace, leaving Gor Mahia with a daunting task to overcome the deficit in the second leg to be played in Nairobi in two weeks' time.
Despite a consolation goal from skipper Kenneth Muguna, scored from the spot, Gor Mahia's chances of progressing to the group stages for the first time in their history appear slim.
By halftime, Gor Mahia were already 3-0 down, having conceded two goals in two minutes. Meftaah scored his second off a penalty at the stroke of halftime, before Benchaa made it 3-0 in the first minute of added time.
USM Alger dominated possession throughout the game, with Gor Mahia struggling to create scoring opportunities. The Algerian outfit's pressure eventually paid off in the 16th minute when Meftaah broke the deadlock with a wicked volley unmarked from the right.
USM Alger continued to pile the pressure on Gor Mahia, and it bore fruit in the 45th minute when Meftaah completed his brace from the penalty spot after Gor Mahia keeper David Mapigano fouled Benchaa in the box.
Just before halftime, Benchaa made amends for his earlier miss from a sitter with a superb goal in the first minute of added time, finding space in the middle of crowded legs to curl in a beauty that bounced off both posts before going into the net past a dazed Mapigano.
At the start of the second half, Gor Mahia made changes, but the brief spell of dominance after the breather saw Gor reduce the gap to 3-1 after Muguna converted from the spot, following Tahar Benkhalifa's handball off a Charles Momanyi effort from a corner.
However, the small hope of a comeback was thwarted with 14 minutes left when Benchaa scored his second after reacting quickest when Mapigano pushed Zakaria Haddouche's freekick against the crossbar.
