AFC Leopards players line up before their Kenyan Premier League clash.PHOTO/Timothy Olobulu
NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 17 – AFC Leopards found their groove back to pick second win of the season following a 2-1 win over Chemelil Sugar in a mid-week Kenyan Premier League match played on Thursday at the Moi Stadium in Kisumu.
The win lifted Ingwe up to 7th on the log on 10 points from 13th place after going two matches winless.
AFC will now take a break from the league to head to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania where thet will compete in the SportPesa Super Cup scheduled to run January 21- 27.
In other results, Hassan Abdalla netted the lone goal as Bandari FC leapfrogged Mathare United to the top of the table to sit on 18 points after handing Posta Rangers 1-0 beating while Kariobangi Sharks had to rally from a goal down to draw 1-1 with Zoo FC.
At the Kisumu Stadium, AFC Leopards had an upper hand and they could have taken an early lead two minutes to the quarter hour mark only if Yusuf Mainge had converted Brian Marita’s pass into the back of the net.
Ingwe found the opener at the half hour mark through Jaffery Owiti when the forward maximized on Chemelil keeper Kevin Otieno blunder who had a miscommunication with his defender Crispin Opondo to easily find the back of the empty net and hand AFC a 1-0 lead at the interval.
On resumption, Chemelil chasing the equalizer, head coach Francis Baraza bolstered his front line by introducing Felix Oluoch and withdrawing Tindi Biko, but the change could not be effective as Leopards doubled the lead thanks to a Eugene Mukangula shabby shot in the 57th minute after a goalmouth melee into the Chemelil’s box.
A never say die Chemelil pulled one back in the 77th minute from the spot after AFC defender Robinson Kamura handled the ball inside the box for veteran Francis Ochola to step up and convert.
The last chance of the game fell on AFC when Mukangula’s drive hit the bar before midfielder Wyvone Isuza seeing his rebound saved by the Chemelil custodian.
The loss meant struggling Chemelil picked their fifth loss of the season to occupy 14th place on 7 points.
