STARS ABROAD: Aldrine Kibet features as Spanish side near historic La Liga promotion

Kenyan youngster, Aldrine Kibet, was in action as his Celta Vigo B (Celta Fortuna) made history by outlasting CE Europa 3-2 (4-3 on aggregate) in extra-time on Sunday, 7 June, to stand a tie away from achieving promotion to the Spanish second-tier for the first time ever.

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Kibet, who in April helped his Celta Vigo U19 side win their Youth League, played 35 minutes of the Primera Promotion playoff second-leg at Municipal de Barreiro, this after coming on as a second-half substitute in the 85th minute.

Having secured a 1-1 draw in the away first leg on Sunday, 31 April, hosts Celta Fortuna were left with a mountain to climb after going 1-0 down in the 29th minute, thanks to a goal from CE Europa midfielder Jordi Cano.

Fredi Álvarez’s side were, however, not to go down easily, as they scored two penalties from Hugo Gonzalez in the 57th and 73rd minutes, to go 2-1 ahead, and lead 3-2 on aggregate.

CE Europa would seven minutes later benefit from their own penalty decision, leveling the semifinal tie via the boot of the aforementioned Cano.

Kibet, having come onto the field to replace Oscar Marcos, would see his side dig deep into an extra 30 minutes, in search of the potential match-winner.

The goal eventually came in the 107th minute, when Angel Arcos surged forward in the middle of the pitch, before unleashing a low effort that found the bottom corner to cue delirium inside the stadium.

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The goal would eventually settle the tie, earning Celta Vigo B their first trip to the Promotion Play-off final, where they will come up against Ponferradina across two legs on Sunday, 14 and Sunday, 21 June.

“POV: you're living a historic day of Celta Fortuna,” Celta posted on their social media later on Sunday, alongside a video of Kibet and his teammates wildly celebrating their momentous victory.

Should Celta Fortuna win the final tie, they will secure their place in the Segunda División, also called La Liga 2, which is the second-highest level in the Spanish football league season.

Once there, Kibet will potentially set himself up for a match against fellow Kenyan player Job Ochieng, who is a member of La Liga 2 side Real Sociedad B.

Additionally, that feat will serve as Kibet’s other memorable achievement this year, having also led the Celta U19s side to promotion into the Copa de Campeones Juvenil de Fútbol.

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Swedish duo cameo

Elsewhere in Sweden, Kenyan youngsters Andreas Odhiambo and Paul Osama were late second-half substitutes as their Enköping SK side beat Pitea 2-0 to move up to fourth in the third-tier (Norra) league.

Osama, who scored his first goal for the side last Tuesday against Assyriska FF, was introduced in the 80th minute for Axel Lundgren, while Odhiambo made his entry with a minute of regular time remaining, replacing fellow midfielder Hadi Noori.