Photo Credit - Mathare United.
Kenya Police FC missed out on an opportunity to go five points clear at the top of the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Premier League table following a shock 1-0 defeat against struggling Mathare United at Dandora Stadium on Thursday.
The law enforcers went into the game knowing a win will not only consolidate their lead at the summit but will help stretch the gap between them and Tusker, who had their fixture against Shabana FC postponed.
The ‘Slum Boys’ looked the brighter side from the onset with new signing Donald Ange almost giving them the lead with only three minutes played when he exchanged a neat pass in the area with Fidel Otieno but his effort rattled the upright.
Five minutes later, Police goalkeeper Job Ochieng was forced into making a strong one handed save to deny Ian Omondi from poking the ball home from close range. Mathare’s momentum for an opener was halted in the 18th minute, when they were forced into an early change with Brian Ouru coming in for the injured Derrick Anami.
Police’s first chance came in the 27th minute when Mathare custodian Michael Wanyika was called into action for the first time and he did well to parry away Alvin Mangeni’s drive from inside the area. In the 36th minute, a defensive mix up almost resulted in a goal for the table topping Police but Wanyika and Asango did enough to repel the danger.
The game went into the half-break tied at 0-0 but Mathare should blame themselves for the missed opportunities. The second period was similar but in the 51st minute, Wanyika made another crucial save to deny David Simiyu from sneaking the ball past him at the near post.
In the 68th minute, a neat build up play from the back unleashed Mathare’s Elli Asieche on the right wing and with an expertly weighted ball, he forced the Police custodian into a spectacular save. With the game headed for a draw, Mathare stunned the law enforcers when Paul Kinyanjui drilled home in the stoppages for the vital win.
The win saw Police stay at the top with 41 points, two more than second-placed Tusker, who still have a game in hand. For the record, the defeat was the first in the league for new Police coach Etienne Ndayiragije. They have secured 11 wins, eight draws and suffered three defeats.
For Mathare, the victory was crucial as it helped them to move up from the lower reaches to position 12 with 25 points accumulated from six wins, seven draws and eight defeats.
Meanwhile, record champions Gor Mahia missed out on a chance to close the gap with Police and Tusker at the top after battling to a 0-0 draw against Bidco United.
Gor Mahia remained third with 36 points from 21 matches while Bidco remained 17th, a relegation spot, with 19 points from 22 outings.
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