KCB players celebrate their goal against Gor Mahia during their Footba Kenya Federation Premier League match at Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani on March 7, 2021.
| Sila Kiplagat | Nation Media GroupFootball
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Five talking points from the FKF-PL
What you need to know:
- Sharks were frustrated by Posta Rangers in their 0-0 draw with Kapaito getting no chance to increase his tally of 14.
- It was the same script for Rupia in their 1-0 win over Nairobi City Stars. The Leopards’ danger man, who has scored 11 goals, was always kept on check by the City Stars defenders.
- Meja, who is third on the log with eight goals, also had a frustrating afternoon in their 1-0 win over Ulinzi on Friday, thus failing to close in on Rupia.
Leaders Tusker bounced back to winning ways in round 15 of the Football Kenya Federation Premier League (FKF-PL) with a 1-0 win over Ulinzi Stars on Friday at Moi International Sports Centre (MISC), Kasarani.
The win took the brewers' points tally to 35.
KCB’s 2-0 win over defending champions Gor Mahia on Sunday asaw them reclaim their second position on the table with 29 points, as AFC Leopards beat Nairobi City Stars 1-0 on Saturday at the same venue to move to third with 28 points.
It also turned out to be a good weekend for struggling Zoo FC as they tasted their first league victory of the season, courtesy of a 1-0 triumph over troubled Vihiga United at Kericho Green Stadium on Saturday.
Here are this weekend’s talking points.
KCB recover ground in title chase
The wild celebrations by KCB players when Victor Omondi sealed their victory over Gor Mahia in the 85th minute from the spot told it all – the Zedekiah Otieno coached side were in dire need of a win.
Prior to this match, the bankers had not tasted victory in their last three matches, leaving them off the pace in the title race.
They had fallen to Nzoia Sugar 2-1 on February 20, drew 2-2 with Sofapaka on February 24, before losing 3-0 to Kariobangi Sharks on February 28.
And with AFC Leopards on Saturday displacing them from the second position following their 1-0 win over Nairobi City Stars, a win over Gor was key in reigniting their title charge.
The two second half goals from David Simiyu and Omondi ensured KCB returned to second position on 29 points, six behindTusker.
Following the victory, coach Otieno believes they are on the right path to bagging their first ever silverware of the top flight league.
Ulinzi’s slump against top sides continues
Until round 12 matches, one of the talking points was Ulinzi’s superb defence as they had lost just once - 1-0 to defending champions Gor Mahia in the season’s opener.
The soldiers had in the matches registered positive results against the the then top three – Sofapaka, Kariobangi Sharks and Wazito/
Against Sofapaka, they won 2-0 and battled to a barren draw with Wazito and Sharks. But the last three meetings with AFC Leopards, Bandari and Tusker turned tough for the soldiers as they lost in all the matches.
After Leopards humbled the soldiers 1-0 on February 24, Bandari disarmed them 2-0 on February 28, before Tusker dismissed them 1-0 last Friday.
The performance means that the soldiers have only won three times in 15 matches, a performance which puts coach Benjamin Nyangweso’s job on the line.
William Wadri is a gem for Bandari
Bandari was expected to find it rough against Nzoia Sugar on Saturday at Mbaraki Sports Club in Mombasa, as the millers have this season given several top guns a run for their money.
And it came to pass as the dockers had to labour for a point in the match after Gabriel Wandera gave the visitors the lead in the 32nd minute.
The Ugandan was the saviour for Bandari as he made no mistake in finding the back of the net from Amani Atariza’s cross in the 70th minute.
The strike was Wadri’s sixth of the season, which saw him move into fifth in the top scorers chart with six goals, eight behind leader Eric Kapaito of Kariobangi Sharks.
In their 5-0 win over Vihiga United on February 23, the Ugandan assisted Benjamin Msagha to his brace and helped Abdalla Hassan and Dan Namasaka to their goals apiece. The 1-1 draw against Nzoia saw Bandari drop to fourth with 26 points.
Zoo register first league win
Zoo's long wait for a league win came to a end after they beat Vihiga United 1-0 on Saturday, striker Alex Ochwari being the scorer of the important goal.
The Kericho-based side have been poor this season, losing eight matches and drawing three, a performance that leaves them ranked bottom in the 18-team league on six points despite the win.
As Zoo coach Herman swekha was celebrating his side’s first win at Kericho Green Stadium, so was Abdalla Juma at Moi Stadium in Kisumu after the cash strapped Stima upset Wazito 1-0.
Juma took over the coaching duty of the club from Paul Ogai last month and he has been in charge of six matches.
Kapaito, Rupia and Meja fire blanks
It turned to be an unproductive round for Erick Kapaito (Kariobangi Sharks), Elvis Rupia (Leopards) and Henry Meja (Tusker) in the Golden Boot race as none of them scored.
Sharks were frustrated by Posta Rangers in their 0-0 draw with Kapaito getting no chance to increase his tally of 14.
It was the same script for Rupia in their 1-0 win over Nairobi City Stars. The Leopards’ danger man, who has scored 11 goals, was always kept on check by the City Stars defenders.
Meja, who is third on the log with eight goals, also had a frustrating afternoon in their 1-0 win over Ulinzi on Friday, thus failing to close in on Rupia.
