NAIROBI, March 18 (Xinhua) -- Kenya's Gor Mahia will wade into new territory when they compete in the quarterfinals of the CAF Confederation Cup and head coach Hassan Oktay believes the team deserves all the praises.
Gor Mahia advanced after holding on firmly to beat Petro Atletico of Angola 1-0 in Nairobi on Sunday in Group D to sail through to the quarterfinals of the continental Cup.
It will be the first time that a Kenyan club has reached the continental club competition last eight where the team is assured of 35 million shillings (350,000 U.S. dollars).
"The pressure is off me. The performance by the players' despite being two men down was superb and the future looks bright. The team has made history and it is good to be in charge of Gor Mahia right now," the coach said on Monday in Nairobi.
"Every single Gor Mahia player needs to be ready for the next round. It is getting harder and we must have our best players. Injuries have limited our chances, but the players deserve their win.
"To me it wasn't a risk. We have been playing fantastic football, creating many chances but lacked putting the ball behind the net. This was a fair result and it's a good start for us that eases pressure from the players," Oktay added.
The loss for Petro du Luanda signals the end of the competition for the Angolan side who finish bottom of Group D while Hussein Dey are third.
Egypt's Zamalek finished top of Group D following their goalless draw with Algeria's Hussein Dey. The result saw Gor Mahia finish second in Group D with nine points, behind first-placed Zamalek on goal difference.
In Group A, Morocco's Raja Casablanca and Morocco's HUSA Agadir both progressed into the quarterfinals with Hassania Agadir and Otoho d'Oyo failing to get through.
In Group B, Tunisia's CS Sfaxien finished top of the group with a 1-0 win over Nigeria's Enugu Rangers. Tunisia's Etoile du Sahel finished second on the standings with their slender 1-0 win over Burkina Faso's Salitas.
In Group C, Sudan's Al-Hilal Omdurman beat Zambia's Nkana 4-1 on Sunday to finish top. The victory that saw them finish on 11 points, two ahead of second-placed Nkana of Zambia who also qualified for the quarterfinals despite a loss.
