Ifpro sink Jack Boys to storm North Eastern final
What you need to know:
- The winner of the final match between Ifpro and Hayatt will will walk away with a Sh200,000 cash prize as well as the chance to travel to Nairobi for the national finals scheduled for March 24.
Sixteen-year-old Isaac Abdiwali on Saturday scored a brace as team Ifpro from Garissa County beat Jack Boys from Dadaab 3-0 in the first semi-final of the Chapa Dimba na Safaricom North Eastern Finals at the Garissa University College grounds.
In the other semi-final staged at the same venue, Wajir's Al-Hayatt beat Jamia FC from Mandera 2-1 to book a place in Sunday’s final.
Al-Hayatt and Ifpro will now meet in the North Eastern finals at 8am Sunday morning to determine who will represent the region in the national finals to be staged in Nairobi on March 24.
“We have been preparing for almost one year. We wanted to put Garissa on the map. We want Garissa to be winners of this tournament so that people can know that there are footballers here too," said Ifpro coach Abdikadir Hussein after the match.
“Iftin means brotherhood and today we played like real brothers. I am confident that tomorrow we shall score four goals and qualify for the finals.”
The bare, dusty grounds at Garissa University proved no setback to the young boys who displayed enthusiasm and were determined to win.
Nor did the scorching Garissa sun deter spectators from thronging the campus grounds to cheer the teams.
Unlike the other three regional finals played in Kisii (Nyanza) Embu (Eastern) and Narok (Rift), no women teams registered for the Garissa County finals which covered Football Kenya Federation’s North Eastern South and North Eastern North branches.
Abdiwali was the toast of the first match as he scored in the 32nd and 59th minutes, before team captain Mohammed Kahin scored the third goal 20 minutes before stoppage time to send the team into Sunday’s regional final.
Try as they may, Jack Boys could only manage two shots on target throughout the game, and found themselves constantly having to protect their goal area from the numerous attacks from Ifpro.
The second semi-final was also a one-sided affair, with Hayatt dominating proceedings.
Ahmed Sabri scored a brace in the match, demonstrating why he is deserving to wear the team’s arm band.
The winner of the final match between Ifpro and Hayatt will will walk away with a Sh200,000 cash prize as well as the chance to travel to Nairobi for the national finals scheduled for March 24.
