Ocholla raises set-piece alarm as Ulinzi Stars slip deeper into relegation trouble after AFC Leopards defeat

Ulinzi Stars head coach Stephen Ocholla has raised alarm over his side’s persistent vulnerability from set pieces after the Soldiers suffered a narrow 2-1 defeat to AFC Leopards in a Football Kenya Federation Premier League (FKFPL) clash played on Thursday, 18 December, at the Ulinzi Sports Complex.

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In a fiercely contested encounter that ebbed and flowed for long spells, goals in either half from Tyson Otieno and Victor Otieno proved decisive for Ingwe, cancelling out Paul Odhiambo’s second-half consolation strike as Leopards walked away with maximum points.

Once again, Ulinzi’s undoing came at a critical moment. Just at the stroke of halftime, the hosts conceded from a set piece, with Otieno reacting quickest to tap home from close range after a well-delivered ball by Samuel Semo.

It was a familiar script for the Soldiers, one that Ocholla admits has become an increasingly troubling trend.

Speaking after the match, the former Ulinzi Stars captain did not mince his words, conceding that his side’s inability to defend dead-ball situations remains a glaring weakness despite repeated corrective efforts on the training ground.

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"Again we conceded through set pieces, something we have been conceding in past matches. We have worked on it several times, but still we go down from it. It is a major worry and concern for us, and we have to get it right by continuing to work on it,” Ocholla told Azam Sports.

Ocholla also addressed the moment that gifted AFC Leopards the opening goal, after goalkeeper Timothy Odhiambo endured a difficult return to action.

Making his first appearance in over a month, his last outing having been against APS Bomet on 18 November, Odhiambo was making only his fourth start of the campaign when he made a howler, failing to deal with a low effort from Otieno that slipped through his legs.

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However, the former Harambee Stars midfielder was quick to shield his goalkeeper from individual blame, instead emphasizing collective responsibility.

"I can’t blame my keeper because I have ten other players on the pitch. If they had done their work well, we wouldn’t have conceded. We take the blame as a unit,” he added.

The defeat marked Ulinzi Stars’ seventh loss of the season, a damaging setback that sees the Soldiers slide into the murky waters of the relegation zone.

They now sit just two points above bottom-placed Kariobangi Sharks, intensifying pressure as the campaign enters a crucial phase.