Kemboi strikes as Western Stima down AFC Leopards at Nyayo
What you need to know:
- The win, which was Stima’s third over Leopards in all competitions this term, took Henry Omino’s charges to third on the log on 40 points, eight adrift of leaders Tusker.
Wesley Kemboi struck early in the first half to give Western Stima a 1-0 win over rivals AFC Leopards in a thrilling Kenyan Premier League match at Nyayo Stadium on Saturday.
The win, which was Stima’s third over Leopards in all competitions this term, took Henry Omino’s charges to third on the log on 40 points, eight adrift of leaders Tusker.
At the Mumias Sports Complex, hosts Kakamega Homeboyz needed a last-gasp equaliser from Stephen Wakhanya to salvage a 1-1 draw against visiting Ushuru. The visitors had grabbed a 71st minute lead through Ebrima Sanneh.
And in Mombasa, Nairobi City Stars enjoyed a rare afternoon of victory after stunning Bandari 3-1 at the Mbaraki Sports Club while in the day’s early kick off match, Ulinzi Stars’ title bid suffered a major setback after falling 1-0 to Chemelil Sugar at the Chemelil Sports Complex.
Western Stima, who have developed a knack for humbling the 13-time champions in the recent past, confirmed their dominance with a 1-0 win over Ingwe.
Ingwe custodian Lucas Indeche was the villain of the match after he failed to deal with Hubert Kopany’s shot, allowing Kemboi to slot home from close range from the rebound in the seventh minute.
Ingwe had some good chances afterwards, but they failed to capitalise. Stima beat Leopards 2-1 in the first leg in Kisumu before thrashing them 3-0 in the GOtv Shield.
“I am glad that everything went according to my plan. I wanted us to score within the first ten minutes so that we could have the chance to control the game and it happened just like that. I am obviously happy with the three points because now we are back to the top three position,” said Omino after the match.
Homeboyz and Ushuru were engaged in a see-saw battle in Mumias, and it was not until the 71st minute that the scales tipped in the taxmen’s favour through Gambian striker Sanneh.
Homeboyz however left it late to pull an equaliser in the 90th minute through Wakhanya who beat Ushuru custodian Odhoji Shaban after being put through by Andrew Kulecho.
CITY STARS STUN BANDARI
In Mombasa, Nairobi City Stars put up a sterling show to register a morale boosting 3-1 win over Bandari.
The home team got their only goal in the 16th minute through Omar Boraafya but City Stars levelled through Jimmy Bageya with two minutes to the break. Substitutes Benson Iregi and Oliver Maloba struck in the second half as City Stars romped to a 3-1 win.
RESULTS
Chemelil Sugar 1-0 Ulinzi Stars (Chemelil Stadium, 2pm)
Bandari 1-3 City Stars (Mbaraki Stadium, 3pm)
KK Homeboyz 1-1 Ushuru (Mumias Complex, 3pm)
AFC Leopards 0-1 Western Stima (Nyayo Stadium, 3pm)
Reports by Cellestine Olilo, Abdulrahman Sheriff and Titus Maero
