NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov 11 – Mathare United climbed off the drop zone after beating relegated Muhoroni Youth 2-1 in a Kenyan Premier League match hosted at the Ruaraka Ground on Saturday.
Needing a win to increase their chances of survival, Mathare got the lead on the stroke of half time through Edwin Seda after being set up by Cliff Nyakeya but Maxwel Onyango restored parity for Muhoroni after the break in the 50th minute.
However, Nyakeya netted the winner six minutes later to give the Francis Kimanzi side a sigh of relief as far as the relegation is concerned with only one match remaining before the conclusion of the 2017 season.
The win saw Mathare jump to 13th with 38 points.
Playing in a wet surface, both sides slowed their approach to the match, sizing each other in the process and its Mathare who had unsuccessful attempts through Roy Okal and Chris Ochieng while Bliss Kityo on the other hand failed to make a clear cut chance count.
Just before the halftime, Mathare managed to break Muhoroni’s defence when Nyakeya picked midfielder Seda who sent a low shot past Muhoroni custodian Said Juma for the opener.
Five minutes into the final half, Mathare United conceded when Onyango took advantage of a goal melee and netted the equalizer for Muhoroni and bring them back in the game.
However, in the 56th minute Nyakeya slamed home the winner for Mathare after receiving an assist from John Mwangi from the left.
In other results, Darius Msagha was on target as Bandari beat Ulinzi Stars 1-0 in Mombasa, Gor Mahia who have already won the league silenced 10-man Kakamega Homeboyz by a similar margin of 1-0.
At the Awendo Green Stadium, Nakumatt stunned hosts Sony 1-0, Kariobangi Sharks thrashed Nzoia Sugar 4-1 while Western Stima beat Posta Rangers 1-0 but still remained stuck in the relegation zone, sitting second last with 32 points.
In the late kick-off played at the Ruaraka Sports Ground, Sofapaka ended their three-match winless run with a 1-0 win over hosts Tusker with Humphrey Okoti returning to haunt his former employer after scoring at the half hour mark.