El-Merrikh Bentiu’s journey in the African Champions League came to a disappointing end on Sunday as they suffered a crushing 5-1 defeat to Kenyan champions Gor Mahia in the second leg of their preliminary round match at Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi.

Despite a narrow 1-0 victory in the first leg at Juba National Stadium last week, El-Merrikh was unable to hold onto their advantage, resulting in a 5-2 aggregate loss that eliminated them from the tournament.

Gor Mahia came into the match determined to overturn the deficit and quickly took control of the game, finding the back of the net multiple times in the first half.

El-Merrikh Bentiu through the striker Samuel Akinbinu  took  the lead after 12 minutest only  before Chris Ocheing equalize for the hosting tame one minutes later .

However after equalizer El Merriekh FC struggled to contain the relentless attacking pressure from the home side and found themselves trailing 3-1 by halftime.

In the second half, Gor Mahia continued to dominate, as Roony Onyango added  two more goals to their tally.

The defeat marks a disappointing exit for El-Merrikh Bentiu, who had high hopes after their first-leg victory in Juba.

Despite the loss, the team gained valuable experience competing at this level and will look to build on this for future competitions.

Gor Mahia’s emphatic victory ensures their progression to the next round of the African Champions League, while El-Merrikh Bentiu will return home to regroup and focus on their domestic league campaign.