10-man Nairobi United edge Mathare as Shabana, Police share spoils

FKF Premier League newbies Nairobi United continued with their resurgence after battling hard to secure a 2-1 win over Mathare United despite finishing the game with 10 men in a match staged at the Kasarani Annex.

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Naibois went into the encounter in decent form with back-to-back wins over Posta Rangers and Murang’a Seal, respectively, and sitting sixth on the log.

The Slum Boys, on the other hand, recovered from a slump to bag a 3-0 victory over Bidco United in their previous match.

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The match began on a balanced note, both teams trying to build from the back and string passes, with battle taking place in midfield.

Naibois then took control of the match from the 10th minute through midfield dominance spearheaded by Kevin Wangaya, Brian Magare and Enock Machaka.

Brian Ouru had Mathare United’s first chance in the 11th minute, but his shot was blocked by brilliant defending from John Otieno.

Naibois had their first big opportunity in the 18th minute when Kevin Osanya, on the overlap, brought in an enticing cross to Michael Karamor, but the Nigerian directed his shot over the bar.

Mathare United captain Brian Ochieng would then come to his team’s rescue when he recovered fast to block a Karamor dribble for a corner, which was taken by Mustafa Kizza, with his effort hitting the crossbar on its way out.

From the restart, Mathare United, through goalkeeper Kevin Ouru, lost the ball to Wangaya, who spotted a gaping goal and passed the ball into the back of the net to break the deadlock.

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Naibois had a chance to double their lead in the 24th minute when Osanya met a ball on a half volley from a rebound, but his shot went off target.

The goal gave Naibois a morale boost as they upped their tempo in search of a second goal, but the numerous attacks only led to half-chances.

Their efforts would pay off in the 33rd minute when John Otieno spotted a brilliant run from Dancun Omala, and found him with a looped ball behind the defense with the Rising Stars forward making the best of the chance by placing it past Kevin Ouru.

Despite going down by two goals, Mathare continued to intensify their search for a goal and had their best chance in the 40th minute when Musa Masika, from a well-taken free kick, forced Benard Jairo into a save.

The last chance of the half fell to Brian Ouru, who received a pass from Masika and unleashed a shot that was once again saved by the hawk-eyed Jairo.

In the second half, Mathare came back as a more energised side and went into an all-out attack, looking for the runs of John Makwatta in attack.

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Mathare got the chance to pull one back in the 64th minute when Makwatta was brought down in the box with the referee awarding a penalty that he took himself, but his kick to the right side of the goal was saved by Jairo as James Kinyanjui hit the rebound wide.

Two minutes later, a brawl ensued before a corner kick, which saw midfielder Brian Magare red-carded for unsportsmanlike conduct for a misplaced word to the referee.

In the 72nd minute, Naibois had a chance to score a third when Machaka laid a cross to Karamor, but he could not get to the end of the ball.

Makwatta would then make up for the penalty miss when he collected a loose ball on the edge of the box and, from a tight angle, directed his shot into the back of the net to half the deficit.

With the goal and a one-man advantage, Mathare continued to press for an equaliser, especially through the right side of the attack where Kinyanjui was operating.

However, it was Naibois who came close in the 90th minute when, in a two-versus-one situation, Benson Omala found Machaka with a pass, but the latter took a heavy touch that allowed Ouru to recover.

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Mathare went for long balls in the closing minute, but Naibois stood tall to ensure they bag a win that pushed them to sixth with 45 points.

Shabana FC 0-0 Kenya Police FC

In the other matches played concurrently, Shabana FC and Police FC battled to a goalless draw in a match staged at the Gusii Stadium.

With the result, Police retained their third position with 48 points while Shabana leapfrogged Homeboyz to fourth on the log with 47 points.

Bandari 2-1 Ulinzi Stars

At the Kwale Stadium, Ulinzi Stars bagged a crucial 2-1 win over Bandari FC despite going down to 10 men in the second half.

Paul Okoth and Staphord Odhiambo scored either side of a Shariff Majabe header, even as Bildad Abonga was sent for an early shower.