Sofapaka keen on continental return after Shield triumph
Sofapaka players Teddy Osok (far left), Kepha Aswani, Umaru Kasumba join Elli Asieche (right) in celebrating his goal during their SportPesa Shield semi-final match against AFC Leopards at the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani on September 23, 2018. Sofapaka won 1-0 to join Kariobangi Sharks in the final. PHOTO | VINCENT OPIYO |
What you need to know:
- Kigonya led from the front, keeping a clean sheet as his side saw off a stubborn AFC Leopards 1-0 in the semi-final played at Kasarani on Sunday thanks to substitute Elli Asieche’s left-footed curler late in the second half
- The Ugandan shot-stopper said their target is to represent the country in next year’s Caf Confederation Cup
- Apart from a ticket to the second-tier continental club competition, the winner will also take home Sh2 million as prize money
Sofapaka captain Mathias Kigonya believes they can return to continental football next season by winning the SportPesa Shield when they take on Kariobangi Sharks in the final on October 20 at the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani.
Kigonya led from the front, keeping a clean sheet as his side saw off a stubborn AFC Leopards 1-0 in the semi-final played at Kasarani on Sunday thanks to substitute Elli Asieche’s left-footed curler late in the second half.
The Ugandan shot-stopper said their target is to represent the country in next year’s Caf Confederation Cup.
“If we can beat a team like Leopards I think we can replicate the same against Sharks, although they’ve a good team. We will give our best to win, we want the cup,” said Kigonya post-match.
“Leopards came all out and it turned physical in the latter stages, we had to use a different tactic to counter that, its football anyway,” he added shedding light on alleged "time wasting antics" towards the end of the match.
Sofapaka last played in the Confederation Cup in 2015 where they were knocked out by Zimbabwe's Platinum FC at the preliminaries. Kigonya insists that they have the right quality to dine with the big boys of African football.
“Our motivation is to play in continentals, we believe we’ve a squad that can match those who are playing there right now,” underlined the former Bright Stars custodian.
His Sharks counterpart Erick Juma is confident they will emerge champions after near misses in the last two seasons.
Sharks, who lost 4-1 to the Soldiers in the 2016 semi-final, were on the right end of a similar score line on Sunday to qualify for the final for the second time in a row.
“Within three years we’ve been on a steady rise; from finishing third in 2016 to second last year, we all believe that we are going for it this year,” said Juma.
He added: “We urge our fans to continue turning up for our matches in masses, we want to win something for them this term so that we can also have a feel of continentals next year.”
Apart from a ticket to the second-tier continental club competition, the winner will also take home Sh2 million as prize money.
