Ingwe striker takes positives from 'Mashemeji Derby'

AFC Leopards striker Elvis Rupia has urged his teammates to bounce back from their 1-0 'Mashemeji Derby' loss to Gor Mahia at Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani last Sunday.

He has urged them to focus on getting good results in the remaining nine Kenyan Premier League (KPL) matches so as to finish as high as possible.

The versatile forward praised his teammates for staging a good fight during the tough encounter, insisting the result was a drastic improvement compared to the 4-1 thrashing at the hands of K’Ogalo in the first leg in November last year.

“I am convinced that even if we lost, we showed character and fought bravely on the pitch till the end of the game. Gor won because they utilised their chances and outclassed us in the flanks,” said Rupia, in an interview with Nation Sport.

The result saw K’Ogalo continue their dominance over AFC Leopards and have not lost to the big cats since 2016.

The former Nzoia Sugar and Power Dynamos striker's partnership with Austin Odhiambo was a thorn in the flesh to the K’Ogalo defence throughout the match.

Gor\s quartet of Michael Apudo, Charles Momanyi, Geoffrey Ochieng, Joash Onyango had to be at their best to thwart the pair's clinical moves as Ingwe strived to get an equaliser.

“We shouldn’t lose hope because we lost in a derby, which is just like any other league game. There is another day to fight, but we have to continue working hard and ensure a steady finish in the league,” he added.

The 24-year-old forward is Ingwe\s top scorer with nine goals, six shy of the the league’s leading scorer, Tusker's Timothy Otieno, who bagged a brace over the weekend in their 3-0 win over Chemelil Sugar.

AFC Leopards are sixth in the KPL log and their next league assignment is against fifth placed KCB on March 18 at Kenyatta Stadium in Machakos.