Ulinzi compound AFC Leopards woes in ill-tempered clash

It was another embarrassing day for AFC Leopards who went down 1-0 to Ulinzi Stars in an ill-tempered SportPesa Premier League match at the Kenyatta Stadium in Machakos on Sunday. 

The match was marred by ugly scenes both during and after the match as angry Ingwe fans expressed their frustrations. 

An eight-minute stoppage was necessary at the tail end of the match when a section of the fans began to throw missiles into the pitch thereby injuring a linesman. 

The match progressed to its logical conclusion with no time added on, but the situation was no better after the final whistle. 

Angry fans stormed the pitch to demand better from the club's management, while others remained on the stands throwing all manner of things onto the pitch. 

This prompted police to fire six rounds of tear gas canisters in an attempt to quell the situation. 

Ingwe were felled by an early goal from Ulinzi’s Daniel Waweru, and they were unable to make amends for the duration of the match. 

It was a spectacular goal that was netted just four minutes after kick-off when winger John Njuguna set Waweru up with a sumptuous cross for the latter to smash home with his sure right foot. 

As the game progressed, Ingwe players began to show signs of frustration, and captain Robinson Kamura escaped a straight red card in the 43rd minute when he shoved the referee while protesting a yellow card dished out to Salim Abdalla.

Kamura was withdrawn immediately upon resumption of the second half together with Brian Marita, and the two paved way for Aziz Okaka and Vincent Oburu. 

Whyvonne Isuza took the arm band and assumed field captainship.

Jaffary Owiti missed a sitter in the 48th minute much to the disappointment of the Ingwe fans who began to call for more changes from coach Cassa Mbungo. 

There was a seven minute stoppage in the match in the 86th minute as fans violently protested the linesman’s decision to call for an offside.

“It has not been a bad game. Only that Ulinzi utilized the single chance they got and we were either unlucky or unable to use the many that we got,” said Ingwe field captain Isuza. 

In an earlier match staged at the same venue, Robert Achema scored for Sony Sugar as they beat league returnees KCB 1-0.

Achema, a Ugandan import, struck in the seventh minute after making the most of a defensive blunder on the bankers’ back line, and this was all his team needed to secure the three precious points.