NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 19 – Pressure mounted further on Mathare United head coach Salim Ali after seeing his side slump to the fifth defeat in six games following a 2-0 loss at the hands of Posta Rangers at the Kasarani Annex on Friday.
Alex Luganji and Amos Kigadi scored in either half as Stanley Okumbi’s charges picked up a second successive victory.
The mailmen were leading at the break, thanks to keeper David Okello’s butter fingers.
A neat interchange of passes on the right seven minutes into the game saw Simon Mbugua tee up Luganji inside the box, the midfielder striking a tame shot that somehow slithered between the keeper’s fingers and into the net.
Posta were buoyed by the early lead and had another chance 10 minutes later and this time Okello made a brilliant save, flying to his left to parry away a well struck volley by Jackson Dwang who had sweetly connected to a Cavin Odongo cross.
Five minutes later Mathare were lucky not to be 2-0 down when Francis Nambute beat Okello to a Mbugua cross, but the striker’s header was wide.
Mathare had struggled to contain Posta and the high press employed by Stanley Okumbi’s men had killed them off ideas.
They resorted to high balls, bypassing the midfield in their play, but these were comfortably dealt with by the Posta backlined marshalled by Suleiman Ngotho.
In the second half, Mathare made attacking changes with Khalid Jumaan and Clifford Alwanga coming in as they looked to turn the game in their favor.
They piled in the pressure, dumping balls into the Posta box as they tried to get into the game. They came closest in the 77th minute when Jumaan took a shot from inside the box after keeper Kelvin Opiyo spilled a cross, but Teddy Osok cleared the ball off the line.
Posta immediately went into the offensive after dodging the bullet and they made it 2-0 in scrappy fashion three minutes later. Amos Kigadi’s shot from inside the box crept under keeper Okello’s legs and despite Lennox Ogutu’s clearance, the ref whistled that the ball crossed the line.
