Big-scoring Mathare, Sofapaka thrash opponents

What you need to know:

  • In the other high-scoring match of the weekend, Sofapaka beat Nakumatt 5-2.

Mathare United coach Francis Kimanzi says his team displayed its best performance of the season in Saturday’s 6-0 thrashing of Zoo Kericho in the SportPesa Premier League.

And the former Harambee Stars coach believes the performance has marked the start of team’s escape from relegation. In the other high-scoring match of the weekend, Sofapaka beat Nakumatt 5-2.

Mathare and Kimanzi have struggled for form all season. To put things into perspective, the triumph over newly-promoted Zoo Kericho was Mathare’s fourth in 20 matches this season. 

Eight of the other league assignments the ‘Slum Boys’ have played have ended in a draw. Kimanzi, too, has suffered this term. In May, he was handed a six-match touchline ban by the league’s Independent Disciplinary and Complaints Committee after an altercation with a match official. The suspension was reduced to four games after an appeal.

“We badly needed this result, just to get our confidence of back. Such a result can help us put together a run of wins we need to get out of trouble,” the coach explained in his post-match interview.

“This is a result of persistent hard work. We have been playing well of late but positive results have not been coming our way. Today was our best outing of the season, scoring six goals is no joke,” Kimanzi said on Saturday.

Harambee Stars triallist Chrispin Ochieng scored a hat-trick, Derrick Onyango scored a brace and Edward Seda added the third as Mathare jumped four places to 13th in the league standings.