Saturday Gor Mahia 3-1 APR (4-3 aggregate) APR football club were bundled out of the CAF Champions League after losing to Gor Mahia of Kenya 1-3 at Nyayo Stadium on Saturday, December 5. The Rwandan Premier League champions had won the first leg 2-1 in Kigali and needed a draw to qualify for the next round. APR started well and their early pressing won them a penalty which striker Jacques Tuyisenge failed to convert in the 8th minute. The army side’s failure to utilize their chances was punished in the 18th minute when Gor Mahia’s Samuel Onyango scored through a set-piece. The visitors tried long shots to level the score but Gor Mahia custodian Gad Mathews produced excellent saves that kept the hosts in the lead at half time. Gor Mahia sat back and defended their slim lead in the second half with APR having very few chances in front of goal. Substitute Keddy Nsanzimfura equalised for APR with only seven minutes left to play and at this time, APR was cruising with one leg in the next round. However, in the second minute of added time, Syndey Otieno restored the hosts’ lead and in the last minute of added time, Nicholas Kipkirui scored another goal from a corner kick to dump APR out of this season’s champions league campaign. Pressure on Mohamed Erradi Adil APR’s failure in the champions league will put pressure on Moroccan coach Mohamed Erradi Adil who joined the club last year. The 40-year-old who reportedly earns Rwf21 million (18,000 euros) was expected to guide the club to the lucrative stages of the elite competition. Adil Mohammed Erradi coached Bechem United in Ghana in 2016 for six months, before becoming an assistant coach to Moroccan club Raja Casablanca in 2017.
