Hull City edge K'Ogalo at Kasarani

English championship side Hull City Sunday beat Kenya champions Gor Mahia 4-3 on post-match penalties in an international friendly match at the Kasarani Stadium.

The sides were tied 0-0 after 90 minutes and penalties were used to decide the winner.

Wesley Onguso, Kevin Omondi and captain Harun Shakava missed their spot kicks for Gor in the dramatic penalty shootout, as Toral John, Kevin Stewart, William Chadwick and Robbie McKenzie converted theirs to grant Hull City the victory.

It was the first time the Moi International Sports Stadium in Kasarani was open to the public after seven months of renovation, and the match provided a befitting promulgation to a stadium that Kenya prides as its best among the rest.

Despite the lack of goals in the first half, the match itself lived up to its billing with every move by the hosts being accompanied by deafening applause from the huge crowd.

In attendance was ODM leader and Gor Mahia patron Raila Odinga, who received overwhelming applause as he led the Gor players in a match past before the game to familiarise with the Hull City players. Nairobi senator Johnstone Sakaja and Kisumu Governor Anyang' Nyong'o and SportPesa CEO Ronald Karauri were also in attendance.

After the match, Hull City coach Nijel Adkins said that the weather may have accounted for their lethargic start in the match.

"Today we had a bit of fortune, but its been a great experience for all of us.

We haven't played in temperatures this high so we couldn't play the kind of fast paced football we like to play. Altitude was also a challenge for us and the match could have gone either way," Adkins said.

Gor coach Dylan Kerr kept his promise and exercised squad rotation throughout the second half to ensure all his players got a chance to feature in the historic clash.

He started with his best squad that had goalkeeper Boniface Oluoch starting in goal, with Philemon Otieno, Harun Shakava, Godfrey Walusimbi and Joash Onyango providing cover in defence.

Speedy winger Francis Kahata was the midfield kingpin, and he was assisted in that position by Humphrey Mieno and Ernest Wendo.

Rwandese Jacques Tuyisenge was the lead striker in the match, as Ivorian Ephrem Guikan stood in place of Meddie Kagere to complete the striker force.

Gor were in total control throughout the first half as the visitors struggled to find their footing.

Fraizer Campbell tried to come up with a rude awakening in the seventh minute when he made his way behind the Gor defenders, but Oluoch was in his element and repulsed his close range shot.

Guikan, Kahata, Tuyisenge and even Godfrey Walusimbi all came up with good chances for K'Ogalo as the game wore on, thereby eliciting raucous shouts of approval from the capacity crowd.

Within that first half, the only meaningful effort that emanated from the visitors was a free kick from Robbie McKenzie which ended up outside target.

The long balls attempted by Harun Shakava didn't work, and Kerr summoned the quartet of Sammy "Daddy" Onyango, Kevin "Ade" Omondi, Cersidy Lumumba and Meddie Kagere for Wendo, George Odhiambo, Humphrey Mieno and Guikan 15 minutes after half time in search of a way out of the stalemate.

Wesley Onguso and Lawrence Juma came on for Walusimbi and Kahata much later.

Adkins boldly changed custodians, introducing Callum Burton for David Marshall as well as William Chadwick and Thomas Powell for Evandro Goebel and Fraizer Campbell.

Marshall was tested by Tuyisenge just seconds after taking onto the pitch, the Rwandan attempting a low cross from the right which required skill, attention and good anticipation to repulse.

Despite the changes, the two teams attacked little within the second half as the match proceeded to post match penalties.