Gor Mahia beat Chemelil Sugar to move closer to title

Champions Gor Mahia inched closer to unprecedented 18th SportPesa Premier League title after beating hosts Chemelil Sugar 2-0 at the Moi Stadium in Kisumu on Wednesday.

Kenneth Muguna struck from a free-kick in the first-half, before Samuel Onyango added a second in the second half to seal K'Ogalo's 19th league match victory.

Gor lead with 63 points, seven ahead of Sofapaka, who recorded a 2-0 victory over Western Stima at Kenyatta stadium in Machakos.

Gor's head coach Hassan Oktay said his charges capitalised on the few chances they created.

"The game was good, today we had few chances which we used very well and won," said Oktay.

Chemelil's coach Francis Baraza said the 2-0 defeat " is not bad for us because we were playing against the Kenyan champions."

Both sides began the contest bright, Vincent Mahiga threatening Gor with a first minute opportunity which goalkeeper Fredrick Odhiambo dealt with, as Nicholas Kipkirui saw his goal the other end just moments later turned down for offside.

The former Zoo Kericho man was on the hunt again in the third minute, his low shot inside the box after beating several yellow shirts hit the foot of goalpost.

As Gor continued to press on for the opener, Cameroonian defender Samuel Mpondo proved a key player in coach Baraza's line-up with his constant wins in the aerial battles.

K'Ogalo took the lead on the 35th minutes thanks to Muguna's free-kick. The former Western Stima man beat Chemelil's goalkeeper Morgan Alube with a low shot near the edge of the box.

The hosts were forced into a substitution in the first-half after Lucas Waitere was stretched off injured, his place taken up by Charles Okiya.

Kipkirui had the first best chance of the second half in the 54th minute, when he controlled the ball with his chest, before firing wide from inside the danger area.

Chemelil, who looked vulnerable in the second half were awarded a corner-kick a few minutes later, but Haron Shakava rose high to clear the danger.

Richard Oti wasted the hosts' best opportunity in the 69th, before Mahiga's solo effort two minutes later missed the target.

Onyango stretched Gor's lead six minutes later with a powerful low drive, Chrispin Opondo being the guilty yellow shirt as the latter failed to make the clearance early.

Midfielder Francis Kahata should have netted Gor's third goal in extra time, but his header blazed over the crossbar.