NAKURU, Kenya, Jun 2- Kenyan champions Gor Mahia got off their SportPesa Super Cup title defense on a high progressing to the semi-finals after a well worked 3-0 win over Zanzibar’s Jeshi la Kujenga Uchumi (JKU) in their quarter final match played Sunday at Nakuru’s Afraha Stadium.

George ‘Blackberry’ Odhiambo and Godfrey Walusimbi’s goals earned Gor the win as they look up to defend the title and earn the prestigious opportunity of facing English Premier League side Everton at their Goodison Park home ground in Liverpool, United kingdom.

K’Ogalo will now take on either arch rivals AFC Leopards or Tanzania’s Singida United in the semis on Thursday.

A slow start to the late kick off, JKU seemed the hungrier side while Gor sat back and enjoyed possession though they dodged a bullet a few times.

In the third minute, Hussein Suwed Juma’s header from the back post rolled across the face of goal after Faki Mbarouk’s cross from the right landed on his path unmarked. Mbarouk was a constant threat with his pace on the wing, but the Zanzibari side could not construct much danger from his crosses.

Gor had a chance to break the deadlock in the 20^th minute from the penalty spot after Suleiman Mwinyi Juma was adjudged to have axed Odhiambo inside the box, but Guikan saw his attempt saved by keeper Mohammed Abdulrahman.

His blushes were however wiped 10 minutes later when Odhiambo broke the deadlock with a composed finish off Francis Kahata’s cross with the midfielder having fought to win back the ball after his initial corner was blocked by the JKU backline.

The visitors almost drew level two minutes later when Suwed’s volley from the edge of the box off an Edward Mayunga cross went straight to Shabaan Odhoji in Gor’s goal.

Having survived the scare, Gor continued with their dominance in possession passing the ball with ease and they doubled their lead in the 35^th minute when Godfrey Walusimbi’s low shot off a short start to a freekick from Cersidy Okeyo found the keeper flat footed.

The second half was more or less of a relaxed approach from Gor who were comfortable in passing the ball around and keeping possession.

They almost had a thunderous start to the half when Odhiambo cut into the edge of the box from the right but his rasping shot went wide.

Gor boss Dylan Kerr made changes to his starting personnel throwing four subs of the allowed six at once. Philemon Otieno, Kahata, Odhiambo and Walusimbi were rested for Lawrence Juma, Meddie Kagere, Benard Ondiek and Wesley Onguso respectively.

Kagere almost made an immediate impact when he sneaked in to head a Wafula cross from the right but it didn’t have enough power to trouble the keeper. Minutes later, a sweeping move from the right saw Bernard Omondi earn some shooting space but his shot was blocked.

Kagere finally put the icing on the cake with the third goal eight minutes from time with a superb diving header off an Ondiek cross, beating the Zanzibar keeper at his near post.

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NAIROBI, Kenya, Jun 2- Kenya surpassed the 100-point mark for the first time in their World Series history after picking eight points from the London Sevens in the United Kingdom on Sunday with a 33-19 Challenge Trophy win over Wales.

Shujaa were already guaranteed of attaining the mark even before the Wales final after beating Argentina 42-10 in the semi-finals. They would be sure of at least seven points if they lost the final, but the win ensured they get the maximum eight.

The haul took Innocent Simiyu’s charges to 101 points with one leg of the series left, beating their previous record of 99 points gathered in the 2012/2013 season under Briton Mike Friday, where they finished fifth overall.

Against Wales, Kenya ran in five tries with the impressive Jeff Oluoch bagging a brace while Eden Agero, Willy Ambaka and Collins Injera bagged one each.

Meanwhile, Shujaa have been pooled in a tight group for next weekend’s Paris Sevens where they will clash with London champions Fiji, New Zealand and Samoa in Pool A.

“We started slowly but we built up during the tournament with how we wanted to play and we got something out of this tournament. The pick-up has been good and the boys are playing really well,” skipper Andrew Amonde said after the final.

Coach Innocent Simiyu was pleased with the return and the record setting victory.

“I think we are very proud of the boys. We didn’t start well yesterday but we managed to pick up and won a trophy which gives us confidence for the next tournament. It’s been a good year in terms of results but we still have a lot to do with performances,” the tactician said after the victory.

In the semis which set the precedence for a better performance in the final, Shujaa were emphatic.

Collins Injera set the pace for the team in the first minute of the game as he dotted down the first try. Moments later, Argentina hit back as Julian Dominquez narrowed the gap with an unconverted try.

However, Shujaa were relentless with Augustine Lugonzo and Ambaka adding on the haul to give the side a 21-5 lead at half time.

They finished off the job in the second half with three tries via Billy Odhiambo, Brian Tanga and Amonde.

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NAIROBI, Kenya, Jun 4- Two former champions, Tusker FC and Bandari will clash in the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Shield second round slated for 23rd and 24th of June after the completion of the first round this weekend with most of the big guns progressing.

The clash between 2016 champions Tusker and their 2015 predecessors Bandari will be one of three other all-Kenyan Premier League (KPL) match ups with 2016 losing finalists Ulinzi Stars scheduled to take on Kakamega Homeboyz while last year’s losing finalists Kariobangi Sharks play Wazito.

Tusker who have had a rough patch in the Kenyan Premier League with three losses on the trot made a resounding statement of winning their fourth domestic cup title with a 7-0 thrashing of Taita Taveta All Stars.

Bandari were on a trip to North Eastern Kenya where they made a statement of intent as well beating local side Berlin FC 3-1.

Defending champions AFC Leopards who were made to work before beating Shabana FC 2-1 in Kisumu will take on Rainforest in the second round, the Naivasha based club having been handed a walk over after Kenyan Premier League side Sony Sugar pulled out in the 11^th hour.

Record champions Gor Mahia who started off with a 5-0 thrashing of SS Assad in Mombasa will take on Kenpoly in their round of 32 clash, the side having beaten Savannah Cement 3-0 to progress.

FKF Shield round of 32 fixtures:

Mwatate United v Ushuru, Bandari FC v Tusker FC, Leysa v KCB, Sofapaka v Baba Dogo United, Friendzone v Zetech University, Gor Mahia v Kenpoly, Kariobangi Sharks v Wazito FC, Ligi Ndogo v Balaji, Rainforest v AFC Leopards, Vegpro v Vihiga United, Kisumu All Stars v Riverplate, Police FC v Nzoia Sugar, Ulinzi Stars v Kakamega Homeboyz, Western Stima v Bidco, Posta Rangers v Kisumu Hot Stars, Bungoma SuperStars v Transfoc.

FKF Shield round of 64 results:

SS Assad 0 – 5 Gor Mahia (Mbaraki Complex, Msa), Friend Zone 1(3) – 1 (1) Naivas (Camp Toyoyo), Nanyuki Youth 0-6 Kariobangi Sharks (Nanyuki Stadium), Nakuru West Combined 1-2 Kenya Police (ASK Show Grounds), M.K.U Nakuru 0-4 Kisumu All Stars (ASK Show Grounds), Transmara Sugar 0-2 Posta Rangers (Enoosaen Grounds), Kisumu Hot Stars 2-1 Raiply (Moi Stadium Kisumu), Dero 0-7 Nzoia Sugar (Moi Stadium Kisumu), Riverplate 1-0 Nakuru All-Stars (Bukhungu Stadium), Kabras United 0-4 Bidco United (Bukhungu Stadium), Fortune Sacco 0-1 Mwatate United (Mikinduri Grounds), Ligi Ndogo 1(4)-1(3) Talanta (Hope Center), Balaji 2-1 Modern Coast Rangers (Camp Toyoyo), Reunion 0-2 Sofapaka (Camp Toyoyo), Nyamira All-Stars 0-5 Vihiga United (Moi Stadium, Kisumu) Egerton University 0-2 Western Stima (Egerton Uni. Grounds), Nanyuki Allstars 0-2 KCB (Nanyuki Stadium), Nunguni Yulu 1-3 Ushuru (UNOA Sports Ground), Berlin 1-3 Bandari (Garissa TTC Grounds), Emmausians 0-5 Leysa (Mbaraki Sports Club), Taita Taveta All-Stars 0-7 Tusker (Taita Taveta University), Shabana 1-2 AFC Leopards (Moi Stadium), Baba Dogo United 2-1 Equity Bank (Baba Dogo Grounds), Kenpoly 3-0 Savannah Cement (Camp Toyoyo), Nairobi Water 0-3 Wazito (Camp Toyoyo), Vegpro 4-0 K.S.G (Karuturi Grounds), Rainforest 2-0 Sony Sugar (Karuturi Grounds), Bungoma Super Stars 3-1 ASEC (Sudi Stadium), Tandaza 0-1 Zetech University (Kabete Campus), Transfoc 2-1 Eldoret Youth (Kenyatta Stadium, Kitale), Transmillan 0-3 Ulinzi Stars (Kenyatta Stadium, Kitale).

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NAKURU, Kenya, Jun 4- Gor Mahia head coach Dylan Kerr has jokingly said he wants to meet his former employers, Tanzanian Premier League champions Simba SC, in the final of the SportPesa Super Cup after his side booked a semi-final slot on Sunday.

K’Ogalo made light work of Zanzibar league champions Jeshi la Kujenga Uchumi (JKU) beating them 3-0 with George Odhiambo, Godfrey Walusimbi and Meddie Kagere scoring while Simba will later on Monday afternoon face Kariobangi Sharks in their quarter final match.

“It’s a big win for us. The big prize is to go to England and what an opportunity it is for players to go to the UK and play against a Premier League team. It’s a great opportunity and I got to prepare my players mentally now for semis and hopefully get to the final and hopefully meet Simba,” the tactician said after his side’s win over JKU.

Simba will book a slot in the semi-finals against Kakamega Homeboyz should they beat Kenyan side Kariobangi Sharks in their quarter final tie on Monday.

If the Wekundu wa Msimbazi beat Homeboyz and Gor beat either Singida United or AFC Leopards who clash in the last semi on Tuesday, then Kerr’s dream final will fall in place.

Kerr meanwhile was pleased with the performance of his charges against JKU though he admitted his players might have underrated the Zanzibaris who gave a good account of themselves despite suffering the 3-0 blanking.

“Credit to JKU because they came over here and did their best. At the end of the day you got to look at Zanzibar league and the Kenya league and you have to give credit when they try,”

“At the end it was a difficult game for us because psychologically in the players’ minds, they thought it was certain it will be an easy game. We didn’t start well and in the first 15 minutes we were really poor,” lamented the tactician.

Kerr also lambasted the Afraha Stadium pitch, at some point referring to it as a cow field, noting that it made it difficult for his team to play their usual one-two passing game. The pitch had previously hosted a comedy show and with the rains, wasn’t at its best.

Meanwhile, JKU tactician Salum Omar was pleased with his side’s performance, saying only three crucial moments decided the tie despite giving their all for the game.

“It is how football is sometimes and we take the result and the lessons. We lost because Gor are physically stronger than us and it was difficult to challenge them, also consider that we are fasting as well though it is not an excuse,” the tactician noted.

While JKU go back to Zanzibar to focus on the defense of their title, Gor will be shifting attention to the semis where they will play the winner between Singida United and AFC Leopards who clash on Tuesday afternoon.

“Either team will be tough. AFC is always a tough game and considering they have just come from a Cup game, they might be tired. Singida have a new coach after their former left for Azam and you can’t really tell how they will line up but all in all any of them will be a tough opponent,” the coach said.

The winner of the tournament not only walks home with Sh3mn, but also an opportunity to travel to England to face Premier League outfit Everton FC in a friendly match at their Goodison Park home ground.

Gor won the title last time out and played Everton at the National Stadium in Dar es Salaam, losing 2-1.

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NAIROBI, Kenya Jun 4- He curved his name into the history books of Kenyan football when he led Tusker FC to their first ever league and domestic cup double in 2016 and in his return to Kenyan football after six months, Paul Nkata is determined to write some new history with Kakamega Homeboyz.

The Ugandan tactician, nicknamed ‘double double’ due to his feat in 2016 didn’t have as much success as he would have wished for when he moved to Bandari at the start of the 2017 season and parted ways with the dockers, moving to Ugandan side URA.

He also left the side after less than six months in charge and was quickly snapped up by Homeboyz when they fired former Kenyan international Mike Mururi.

“I am glad to be back here and I hope we will have success. I have just take charge of the team and we are starting off with the Super Cup and after that we will look at what we can do in the league,” Nkata said on Sunday.

He started off his tenure with a 3-1 win over Tanzanian giants Young Africans (Yanga) in the SportPesa Super Cup on Sunday in Nakuru and he hopes the positive start will spell success for the remainder of his one year contract.

Having beaten Yanga before with URA, Nkata says he wasn’t surprised with the result and heaped praise on his boys for their positive attitude.

“I am happy with the boys and the result we got. Nobody expected that we can beat Yanga but it was all about the attitude. It was not news to me because I played Yanga sometime back and I knew if they used the same game plan, we would beat them,” the coach noted.

On going all the way to the final he said;

“We will take our chances if they come. Football is all about chances and we will do our best,” the coach added.

Meanwhile, Nkata believes that having four former Tusker players in his squad at Homeboyz will make his work easier as they understand his philosophy and work ethic.

Among the players who have re-united with the coach at Homeboyz include Allan Wanga, James Situma, Noah Wafula and George Mandela who was also with him during his stint at Muhoroni Youth.

“They know my philosophy and it will make it easy for me to work at the team. That’s why there was a change when we played against Yanga. It wasn’t exactly the kind of football that I want the team to play but we will change slowly by slowly,” the coach added.

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NAKURU, Kenya, Jun 4- Kariobangi Sharks will live to rue missed chances as they were made to pay, losing to newly crowned Tanzanian Premier League champions Simba SC 3-2 on post match penalties in the third quarter final of the SportPesa Super Cup at Nakuru’s Afraha Stadium.

Skipper Eric Juma and his deputy Geoffrey Shiveka took horrendous efforts both saved by keeper Aishi Manula while Jonas Mkude scored the decider for the Wekundu wa Msimbazi who now book a date against Kakamega Homeboyz in the semi-final on Thursday.

The game was forced into penalties after a barren draw in regulation time in a match that didn’t provide much of attacking spectacle from either side.

On spot kicks, despite carrying with him a knee injury picked up late on in the match, keeper Manula saved two spot kicks as the Tanzanians kept on course their former coach Dylan Kerr’s dream final against his current employers Gor Mahia.

Pascal Ogweno saw his spot kick rise over the bar before defender Geoffrey Shiveka saw his poorly taken kick saved by Manula. Haruna Niyonzima scored the first for Simba with skipper Husssein ‘Tshabalala’ Mohammed skying his.

Eric Kipkurui scored Sharks’ third before Erasto Nyoni kept Simba in the lead. Harrison Mwenda stepped up and scored and Sharks thought they had gotten back to the game when Paul Bukaba’s shot came off the underside of the bar.

However, skipper Juma made a mess of his kick giving Manula an easy save and Mkude made the most of it, scoring the decider.

Eric Kapaito’s two glaring misses were the highlights of the opening half, one which Sharks had minimal possession with the Tanzanian champions keeping a huge chunk of it.

On the quarter hour mark, Kapaito was sent through by Harrison Mwendwa and with one turn beat his marker. However, he was slow to pull the trigger with only keeper Aishi Manula to beat allowing Jonas Mkude to race back, apply some bit of pressure on him and his eventual shot was weak.

20 minutes later, he had an equally glorious opportunity to score, but once again his finishing was non-existent.

Sven Yidah won the ball in midfield, toe poked to Duke Abuya on the right who raced into it and slit in a low cross with pace but Kapaito who was running into the six yard box unmarked failed to give the ball the slightest of touches to direct it into the net.

Apart from those two chances, Sharks had not threatened much with Simba keeping the ball, passing it across the park with ease but did not create danger upfront.

On the half hour mark, Ibrahim Mohammed who had enjoyed a good game in the middle of the park had a shot from distance which went straight to John Oyemba in the Sharks goal.

Sharks also had two other chances, first in the third minute Yidah missing a great opportunity with a header off an Abuya corner. In the 21^st minute, Francis Manoah also had a chance off an Abuya cross, but he directed it wide.

Simba made an early change six minutes to the break Juma Rashid coming on for Ally Shomari.

There wasn’t much of goal scoring chances in the second half with the closest being a tap from Abuya off a Sidney Lokale cross in the 75^th minute.

Lokale had been brought on for the wasteful Kapaito but he too could not make an impact and was hauled off for Erick Juma late on.

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NAIROBI, Kenya, Jun 4- Skipper Sunil Chhetri notched a brace on his 100th cap as India thumped Kenya’s Harambee Stars 3-0 in their second match at the four-nation InterContinental Heroes Cup at a water-logged Mumbai Arena on Monday night.

After a barren first half, Chhetri opened the scoring in the 68^th minute from the penalty spot before Jeje Lalpekhlua scored the second two minutes later. The skipper then put the icing on the cake in the second minute of added time as India picked their second win of the tournament.

Stars will now need to win their final round-robin match against Chinese Taipei on Friday to book a slot in Sunday’s final after starting off their campaign with a 2-1 win over New Zealand on Saturday.

India on the other hand started off with a 5-0 thrashing of Chinese Taipei.

It was a difficult outing for Sebastien Migne’s charges who were forced to play long balls because of the soggy nature of the pitch and they had few chances to score.

The game opened up in the second half and Kenya almost had the opener in the 49^th minute when Ovella Ochieng burst through the centre of the Indian defence but could only shoot inches wide of the goal.

But the Indians got the much needed opener in the 68^th minute after they were awarded a penalty after Chhetri was hacked inside the box by Michael Kibwage. The skipper stepped up to score.

Two minutes later, the Indians were 2-0 up when Lalpekhlua lit up the full to capacity arena with a wonderful shot from range that found keeper Matasi flat footed.

Kenya tried to push in for an equalizer attempting to use Piston Mutamba’s height in attack but they couldn’t break the backline. Substitute Mark Makwatta came close with a shot from range but the Indian keeper saved.

Chhetri then drove the final nail into Kenya’s coffin with a beauty of a goal, chipping the ball over Matasi after India launched a counter attack.

Migne had made only one change from the team that won on Saturday, bringing in Dennis Odhiambo for Makwatta. The tactician was forced into a change pre-match after left back Eric Ouma suffered an injury during warm up and was replaced by Bolton Omwenga.

Meanwhile, the stadium was full to capacity after captain Sunil Chhetri’s emotional plea for fans to support the team after barely 2,500 people turned up to watch them play against Chinese Taipei.

Chhetri’s heartfelt appeal — backed by India’s cricket heroes Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar — went viral on social media, prompting fans to shell out for tickets.

Every seat in the 15,000-capacity Mumbai Football Arena was quickly sold with one fan buying more than 1,000 tickets for the Intercontinental Cup game.

Chhetri’s plea came after India thrashed Taiwan 5-0 in front of just 2,569 people in the Mumbai stadium on Friday.

The disheartened Chhetri, who scored a hat-trick in the match, said in a Twitter video: “To everyone who has lost hope in Indian football I request you to come and watch us in the stadiums.

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NAIROBI, Kenya, Jun 4- Even Harambee Stars skipper and Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Victor Wanyama could not desist the allure of spending a few hours off his four-week holiday watching some of Kenya’s Twitter faithful battle it out in a mini-tournament christened #KOT5Aside.

The tournament which culminated at the Ngong Road Arena on Madaraka Day saw over 16 teams battle it out for pride with Thika’s Twitter legion carrying home the bragging rights after beating Milimani 3-2 in a tense final.

Wanyama, a ‘Twitter bigwig’ himself with 347,000 followers was seemingly elated with the ‘talent’ on show in the final as he giggled the evening away watching proceedings from the sides.

Apart from the competition on the 3G seven-a-side turf, it was an afternoon of fun, banter and a bit of networking as the country’s ‘keyboard warriors’ dropped their phones and tabs for a while in exchange of boots, shorts and balls.

It started off as just any other hang-out idea, but the response it gathered not only attracted a huge number of teams and fans but the eye of corporate as well, eager to bite a pie off what trended on social media space for almost three days

“KOT5Aside was basically a tournament for all Kenyans on twitter to come together and have fun through playing football. I am happy it was a success. Many thanks to all the teams and fans who took part in the 5 hour tournament,” tournament organizer Alex Muange told Capital Sport.

The tournament was initially scheduled for the Arena One 3G turf in Nairobi’s Valley Arcade Estate, but a huge turnout meant that the 8-10pm schedule spilled over and thus could not culminate to the final.

“Initially, it was just a one off thing. We happened to be playing with some friends at the launch of Road to Brazil tournament but it was disrupted by rain so we decided why don’t we just come back and play for fun. I didn’t know the response would be this huge when I shared a tweet asking if guys would show up. I expected five to six teams but we ended up registering 16 teams,” Muange further explained.

The spill-over went into Madaraka Day where the rest of the games were played with Thika winning. Zacharia Muracia, Kennedy Njore and Fredrick Muiruri scored for the side that arrived for the tournament in style with their ‘Kenya Mpya’ ‘team-bus’.

Adams Serut scored twice for Milimani.

“The tournament was well organized despite the short notice. Turnout was huge. We hope the tournament continues and hopefully becomes a national event. We are glad we won despite coming in as underdogs,” Thika skipper Erick Ng’ang’a said after his side’s conquest.

Enroute to the final, Thika dismissed fan-favorites Daycare FC 2-0.

“The tournament turnout was great. The support, the organization was great. Daycare FC has everything except oxygen in our lungs. For a start I would say it was a success and I’m looking forward to the next one. Hopefully the team will have trained together a couple of times before then,” Rama Oluoch, Daycare’s captain said after his team was run rugged by Thika.

The girls were also not left behind with some of Twitter’s active girlies swiping off their make-up to drench in sweat and have some fun.

“It was a fun-filled tournament and more so with the number of people who showed up after the first tournament ended abruptly. It was also great to see the likes of Wanyama gracing the event to show support and also seeing the girls play was great,” Ednah Onyanha commented.

Muange has meanwhile said there are plans to make the tournament ore competitive and more-so a regular event and with corporate scrambling to have a sip of the online craze, he believes it will only get better.

Among the corporates that chipped in towards the event included Red Bull, Tuborg as well as betting firms BetIn who kitted DayCare and Betika who kitted Chuom FC.

The post Fun and games as Kenya’s Twiterrati enjoy #KOT5Aside appeared first on Capital Sports.

NAKURU, Kenya, Jun 5- Last year’s Super Cup losing finalists AFC Leopards will be eager to start their campaign this year with a bang and progress all the way up for a consecutive time when they take on Tanzanian side Singida United in the last quarter final on Tuesday at Nakuru’s Afraha Stadium.

AFC tactician Rodolfo Zapata is confident that the team has the ability to move all the way to the final and has called on his charges to give their all against Singida and inch closer to their target.

“There is no pressure at all. This is a party that we need to enjoy. We are Leopards, the biggest team in this country and we need to go in to the pitch and represent our supporters well,’ the Argentine tactician said.

AFC are facing a Singida side which did not perform as well as they should have expected in the recently concluded season, finishing fifth in the standings with 44 points, a massive 25 behind champions Simba SC.

They have won only two of their last 10 matches, losing four and drawing a similar number. Both their wins were against Njombe Mji and Maji Maji who were both relegated after finishing in the bottom two slots.

Despite the poor record, Rodolfo is not taking the match lightly.

“This is an international competition and it’s different from the league. I expect them to come very tough because of the prize that is there at the end of the day. For us, we have prepared very well and I am happy that the players have responded to my coaching,” the tactician said.

“Since I took over the team we are unbeaten and we need to keep working in this way. This is a good opportunity to show our skills and what we can do,” added the tactician who took charge of the team at the beginning of last month.

At the same time, Zapata has rued the absence of skipper Duncan Otieno who is away with the national team at the four-nation Heroes InterContinental Cup in India while Ezekiel Odera has been rued out with illness.

“It is sad to miss the two because they are very important players for us especially Duncan with the leadership he brings to the team. We are a small team with young players and when such key figures miss, it is sad. But it is no excuse, we will go there and do our best,” Zapata affirmed.

AFC come into the tie fresh from a 2-1 win over Shabana in the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Shield in Kisumu and the argentine coach hopes the team can maintain the winning streak against the Tanzanians and edge closer to the final.

Meanwhile, Singida will be coming into the tie under the tutelage of former Zanzibar national team coach Suleiman Hemed who comes back to the country after considerable success at the CECAFA Senior Challenge Cup last year leading the islanders to the final.

Hemed, nicknamed Morocco takes over from Dutchman Hans van der Pluijm who ditched Singida for moneybags Azam FC at the end of the season. This will be his first game in charge.

“I just took charge of the team three days ago when I signed the contract. My first training session with them has been here in Kenya and so I can’t say much about the team. Also, I don’t know much about Leopards so that makes this a very hard game for us,” Hemed told Capital Sport.

Also, among the familiar faces that will be on Singida’s line up will be Shafik Batambuze, a former Tusker FC title winning player. His last meeting with AFC was in Tusker’s penultimate game of the 2016 season where he scored the lone goal that handed the brewers the title.

The winner of this tie will face Gor Mahia in Thursday evening’s semi-final.

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NAIROBI, Kenya, Jun 5- Tanzanian Premier League side Young Africans (Yanga) have warned Gor Mahia not to be fooled by their performance against Kakamega Homeboyz in the SportPesa Super Cup on Sunday where they lost 3-1, ahead of their CAF Confederations Cup meetings next month.

Yanga will travel to Nairobi for the first leg of their Group D clash on July 18 before inviting K’Ogalo to the National Stadium in Dar es Salaam for the corresponding tie 10 days later and the club has warned they will be a different side by then.

Assistant coach Juma Mensah notes that the CAF tie will be a different ballgame altogether.

“If you look at where we are coming from, seven of our key players were not here because of injury and we have also had an outbreak of malaria in the camp so the players were not at their best. The result of this game will have no bearing on our game against Gor Mahia. It will be a different ball game with a different approach,” Mensah said.

Yanga are currently bottom of Group D with a single point gained from their 0-0 draw at home with Rayon Sport having started their campaign with a hefty 4-0 loss at the hands of leaders USM Alger away in Algeria.

A loss against Gor will all but diminish their hopes of making it into the quarter finals.

Meanwhile, Gor Mahia boss Dylan Kerr also expects a different encounter against Yanga but added that he picked a few notes watching them play against Homeboyz on Sunday.

“I spoke to several of them who I knew from my time at Simba and they said they were not at their best because they have come off a long season and all they are thinking of now is taking holidays to rest. Of course it will be tougher when we meet them,” Kerr told Capital Sport.

He added; “I know them from before but I also took time to watch them and see what they are all about as at now. I noted their strengths and weaknesses and we have something to work on before we meet them.”

Yanga had a disappointing campaign in the Tanzanian Premier League where they finished third with 52 points, 17 off champions and arch rivals Simba SC.

They had hoped to wipe off the blushes of a poor season with a good performance at the SportPesa Super Cup, but the loss against Homeboyz diminished their ambitions.

“It was unfortunate we gave away two goals by making schoolboy mistakes. We tried to come back at 2-1 but most of my players were coming from injury and illnesses, so we were not 100 percent. We have also had a difficult season. Overall the performance was below par. We hope to reorganize and come back strong,” Mensah noted.

The team will take a two week break before resuming training ahead of the Confederation Cup ties as well as the kick off of the new Tanzanian league campaign.

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NAIROBI, Kenya, Jun 5- Kenyan Premier League champions Gor Mahia will once again face Rwandese side Rayon Sport after the two sides were pooled together in Group B of the CECAFA Kagame Cup to be staged in Tanzania from June 29-July 13.

Gor who reached the final when the tournament was last staged in Tanzania in 2015 will also face Burundi’s Lydia Ludic Academie as well as Djibouti’s Ports. They will open their campaign against Rayon on July 1 at the National Stadium.

Gor and Azam have already met once this year, playing to a 0-0 draw in a CAF Confederation Cup Group D clash in Kigali.

Hosts Azam will headline Pool A where they have been pooled alongside Zanzibar’s Jeshi la Kujenga Uchumi, Kator FC from South Sudan and a Ugandan representative who will be named later.

Sworn enemies Yanga and Simba have been surprisingly pooled together in Group C in what looks like the group of death as they will also have Ethiopian champions St. George and Somalia’s Dakadaha.

Yanga’s clash against St. George will be the tournament’s official opening game and it will be staged at the National Stadium on June 29. Games will also be staged at the Chamazi Compex, home to Azam FC.

The tournament was launched this morning in Tanzania with Azam Group set to be title sponsors.

Groups:

• Azam FC (Tanzania), JKU (Zanzibar), Kator (South Sudan), Uganda rep.
• Rayon (Rwanda), Gor Mahia (Kenya), Ports (Djibouti), Lydia Ludic (Burundi).
• Yanga SC, Simba SC (Tanzania), St. George (Ethiopia), Dakadaha (Somalia)

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NAIROBI, Kenya, Jun 5- Simba SC head coach Pierre Lechantre has admitted that Kenyan teams will be tough to beat at the Super Cup as they are at a better physical level compared to their Tanzanian counterparts who have just finished their domestic season.

Giants Young Africans and Zanzibar’s Jeshi la Kujenga Uchumi (JKU) have already been eliminated from the tournament by Kakamega Homeboyz and Gor Mahia respectively while Simba had to rely on the penalty lottery to beat Kariobangi Sharks.

“All the teams from Kenya are good teams. They are at a better physical level because they are in the middle of the season while my team and all the teams from Tanzania, we are playing after the end of the championship,” the French coach said.

“My team we have been celebrating winning the Championship for two weeks now and it is not easy to settle the players. You have to have big motivation to win this tournament,” the tactician noted.

He expects a tough tie against Homeboyz when the two sides face off in the semi-finals on Thursday, noting he knows their strengths having watched them eliminate Yanga on Sunday.

“They are a very good team with very fast players and I know it will be tough. Also, I see the players from Gor Mahia, they are very good. I told their coach, he must be very lucky to have such a team with all good players,” he added.

Meanwhile, just like his Gor counterpart Dylan Kerr, Lechantre has blasted the Afraha Stadium playing surface, saying it could not give them an opportunity to play their passing game.

“With the field it’s difficult to play with one touch. It was a big problem for us and with this kind of field you have to play long pass and run which is not our kind of football,” the tactician lamented.

He has however praised his players for their attitude against a tough Sharks side and notes they still have areas to improve on before they face Homeboyz in the last four.

Meanwhile, Kariobangi Sharks head coach William Muluya was left dejected after his side wasted chance after chance and had an even more miserable ending in the penalties in a match they should have taken their chances and won.

He however hopes the tough lessons the boys picked against Simba will spur them on back in their league campaign.

“It is disheartening because sometimes you go back and see the chances you missed and you wonder. We take the lessons from here and move our focus back to the league. Had we scored the chances we had things would have been different,” the tactician noted.

“The positives we pick is on the young boys who came in and did a good. It shows we have a good future ahead. Also, another thing is that if you are given a chance, you have to take it otherwise someone will take it and run away with it like Simba did with the penalties,” Muluya noted.

Sharks will now take their focus back to the Kenyan Premier League and Football Kenya Federation Shield campaigns hoping to have a good season like they did in 2017.

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NAKURU, Kenya, Jun 5- Hopes of a Mashemeji Derby in the semi finals of the SportPesa Super Cup were dashed when Tanzanian outfit Singida United beat AFC Leopards 4-2 on post match penalties in the quarter finals on Tuesday evening.

The game was forced to penalties after a barren draw in regulation time and AFC will have only themselves to blame after missing a penalty in regulation time, Whyvonne Isuza seeing his 68^th minute kick saved by Singida keeper Peter Manyika.

Singida have now booked a date against defending champions Gor Mahia, the game set to Thursday at 3pm.

On penalties, only Ally Kenny missed for Singida with Shafik Batambuze, Adam Miraji, Danny Lyanga and Sumbi Elynyesia scoring.

AFC missed two of their four kicks with Baker Lukooya hitting the crossbar while Moses Mburu struck his effort wide. Robinson Kamura and Isuza scored AFC’s efforts.

The light afternoon showers at the Afraha Stadium made the playing conditions difficult with the ground becoming slippery and players finding it tough to have their feet on the ground.

It almost cost Singida the opener within the opening three minutes when Salum Kipaga slipped as he tried to pass the ball back to his keeper, but good for him AFC forward Ray Omondi was not fast enough to the ball allowing Kennedy Juma to race back and block his effort at stealing the ball.

Singida were doing all they can to pass the ball around despite the tough conditions of the Afraha pitch and they had a good chance in the sixth minute when Danny Lyanga’s header from a John Tibar cross was well handled by Ezekiel Owade in the AFC goal.

Ingwe didn’t look organized in the opening minutes and they kept spraying stray passes with Singida picking them up and attempting to build up play.

Amidst the confusion, Ingwe almost had the opener in the 22^nd minute when Dennis Sikhayi’s dipping cross from the right headed on target, but Singida keeper Peter Manyika backtracked to turn the ball behind for a corner.

Ingwe had an even better opportunity two minutes later when Brian Marita raced away from his markers on the right before slicing in a cross back, but Whyvone Isuza and Omondi clashed going for the same ball.

The cross fell on Jaffary Owiti at the backpost but the youngster’s shot at goal was well handled by Manyika.

On the other end, Owade almost gifted Singida the opener when he punched Deus Kaseke’s cross right into Habib Kyombo’s path, but the Tanzanian’s shot went wide.

Owade made the same mistake in the 28^th minute this time spilling Tibar’s shot from distance but the keeper dodged a bullet once again when Kyombo’s effort from the rebound unmarked inside the six yard box went wide.

In the final seven minutes of the opening half, Ingwe had chances to break the deadlock.

First Omondi’s connection from a Marita cross being saved by Manyika while in the second instance three minutes to half time the custodian parried away a stinging freekick from Robinson Kamura.

The second half turned out to be a Peter Manyika show, the Tanzanian keeper standing tall in the Singida goal making crucial saves.

Three minutes after the restart, Manyika pulled a brilliant double save, first acrobatically tipping behind a Kamura freekick for a corner and from the resultant set piece made a full stretch save to his left to punch away a ferocious shot from Victor Majid who picked the ball on the right.

In the 65^th minute, the custodian was once again well placed to pick out a stinging freekick from Marita.

His AFC had a golden chance to break the deadlock just three minutes later when Owiti was hacked down inside the box by Salum Kipaga, but nothing could beat Manyika.

The custodian made a brilliant leap to save Whyvonne Isuza’s penalty before bouncing back up to save Ray Omondi’s rebound.

The ball fell kindly to Omondi once again from the save, but the forward who lacked sharpness on the day shot high over the bar.

With 15 minutes left and Singida’s confidence increased by Manyika’s saves, AFC head coach Rodolfo Zapata made two changes, the ineffective Omondi coming off for Vincent Oburu while Baker Lukooya replaced Brian Marita.

Nonetheless, nothing the two sides did could change the score-line.

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NAIROBI, Kenya, Jun 6- After their SportPesa Super Cup exit following a 4-2 post-match penalties loss to Tanzanian side Singida United, AFC Leopards head coach Rodolfo Zapata will turn his attention to fighting for the Kenyan Premier League title and quench the club’s two decade wait for the gong.

AFC are placed sixth in the standings with 25 points, nine behind leaders Gor Mahia with whom they have a pending fixture against and Zapata believes the race is still wide open and his charges have the ability to dethrone their arch rivals.

“I took the team in the middle of the season and it’s not easy. But I am happy that we are still unbeaten in 90 minutes since I came here and the league is still wide open. There are many matches to play and the difference is not very big. We need to keep working,” the coach said.

He added; “We need to keep playing good football and keep playing like Leopards; we are a big team and we have to play like one.”

Apart from the league, Ingwe are also seeking to defend their Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Shield title having started off with a 2-1 win over third tier side Shabana in the round of 64.

Looking back at the SportPesa Super Cup exit against Singida, Zapata was disappointed they could not convert the many chances they created in the match , but still noted he was pleased with the performance of his team.

“We dominated the second half and had many opportunities. Singida is a good team and my players did a great job. I have no complains and I am proud of them. Penalties are a lottery and it is different when you take with pressure and under no pressure. In training we were scoring,” the Argentine tactician noted.

He added; “We have a lot of young players in the team and I am happy with their effort. I have nothing bad to say about them. This was a good experience for them and Leopards fans can be proud of them.”

Meanwhile, Zapata says he has handed in a few transfer requests to the club’s National Executive Committee, though he says he is generally happy with the squad he has and will not be bringing many players into the side.

He has been linked with a number of players from his former Botswana League side Gaborone United, the strongest name in the rumor mills being that of experienced midfielder Dirang Moloi.

The club has also been heavily linked to KPL top scorer Elvis Rupia who turns out for Nzoia Sugar, though the forward has hinted he would like to finish the season at the Bungoma based club to avoid disrupting his rhythm.

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NAIROBI, Kenya, Jun 6- Harambee Starlets are keen to qualify for their second consecutive African Women’s Cup of Nations (AWCON) and ahead of their ultimate qualification match against Equatorial Guinea on Wednesday afternoon, the team has urged fans to turn out and give them a thrust of confidence.

Despite a myriad of issues surrounding the Equatorial Guineans including whether or not they should be participating in the qualifiers after they were initially banned by FIFA from contesting in the 2019 Women’s World Cup, Starlets have chosen to keep their eyes on the prize and battle on the pitch.

The Football Kenya Federation (FKF) had initially said they would be appealing against the West Africans against their participation as FIFA banned them due to use of ineligible players.

The 2018 AWCON to be staged in Ghana will also serve as qualifiers for the same World Cup FIFA has banned the Nzalang Nacional and that was the basis of FKF’s appeal.

Also, there have been questions raised on the eligibility of a number of players.

Nonetheless, Starlets have kept their focus to the contest on the pitch and have been training at the Kenyatta Stadium in Machakos for the past month as they look to earn a ticket to Ghana.

“Training has been very good and the girls are looking forward to the match. The physical and mental levels are impressive and we now need to go out and get the result. The fans should come out in large numbers and give us the support,” head coach David Ouma said after their final training session on Tuesday.

The back-to-back qualifier will be played in the space of three days with the return leg in Malabo scheduled for Saturday and Ouma knows with such kind of demanding fixture, the game should be won in the first leg at home.

“Sometimes it is difficult to plan these closely arranged fixtures and that means we have to give our best in the first leg. We need to take maximum use of our home advantage and get a win so that we make the return leg easier for us,” said the coach.

He expects a tough encounter from the West Africans but notes that his team’s mental strength has vastly improved and they will not be cowed by the pedigree of their opponents.

Equatorial Guinea have won the AWCON twice in 2008 and 2012, finishing second in between in 2010 and qualified for the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

“They are a very experienced team because if you look at all their achievements, that does not come easy. We know we are going to face a very tough side but mentally, I think my girls have really grown. They will not be under pressure. The first thing is to make sure we win at home,” the coach said.

An area of concern had been the finishing especially after the team was pushed to the wire by Uganda in the first round of qualification, winning 1-0 on aggregate.

The team had a friendly match against Women’s Premier League leaders Thika Queens winning 5-0 and the huge goal margin was a huge relief for Ouma who saw enough goal scoring prowess in the girls, which he hopes they can replicate against Wednesday’s opponents.

“I am satisfied with how much we have improved tactically in creating chances and scoring. In training and during the match against Thika I have seen sufficient possibility that we can create and score many chances. We have worked to polish the midfield areas and I am confident we are ready for the game on Wednesday,” Ouma noted.

Meanwhile, skipper Wendy Achieng has called on fans to come out in large numbers and support the team with the Football Kenya Federation having waived gate charges for the game.

“We have trained very well and the confidence is high. We really want to qualify for our second Cup of Nations and we want to ask the fans to come out in large numbers and support us,” the left back added.

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NAIROBI, Kenya, June 6 – A painter in Mombasa has won the betPawa Sunday Million jackpot merely twenty days after the maiden one was won.

Ian Nzioka, a father of two, staked Sh10 and made thirteen correct predictions to bag the Sh1 million on offer, becaming the second jackpot winner from betPawa.

The ecstatic paint technician, who traveled to Nairobi to be feted, took the opportunity to caution punters on addiction occasioned by gambling but would not give up on placing bets after his big victory.

“Young punters should know that betting is addictive and they should not stake a lot of money in it. If you have to play then stake a small amount that you can afford and that which if you lose would not have an impact on your life. Betting is like smoking so anyone doing it must watch out not to get hooked,” Nzioka cautioned.

Nzioka narrated how his luck day unfolded from the morning till late in the night when the last jackpot game was played.

“I spent the weekend analyzing the jackpot matches very keenly. My account had Sh90 so after placing other normal bets I decided to play the jackpot. After careful analysis I selected the lucky dip option and when I compared with what I had picked, they matched. I knew I was on to something.” He narrated

Nzioka predicted that most games would end in draws and he felt lucky about his choices. “I didn’t go to church that day and kept looking at the progress of matches. I even cooked for the family that day and that is not something I do a lot. I made chapatis and saw off everyone to bed as I waited for the last game to conclude. I had to wake my wife later to give her the good news although she still has doubts if it’s all true.” Nzioka explained.

He plans to renovate his mother’s house and pay off a land debt with his jackpot proceeds.

The company launched it’s first jackpot last month and it took just days for a winner to emerge. The company allows punters to stake the least amount in the industry as betting starts at Sh1.

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NAIROBI, Kenya, June 6 – World champion Hellen Obiri bounced back to winning ways after claiming the 5000m title at the Kenya Defence Forces Athletics Championships on Wednesday at the Moi International Sports Center Kasarani.

Obiri, the reigning Commonwealth Games title holder, dominated the race with eight laps to go to cross the line first in 14:48.5, flooring Joyciline Koima of Mtongwe who claimed the second spot in 15:03.6 while Gladay Kimana, representing Kahawa settled for third in 15:06.8.

“I am happy with my time today, it shows that my shape is coming back slowly after not having good performance at the opening two Diamond League legs in Doha and Prefontaine,” Obiri, who runs for the Laikipia Air base, said.

Obiri is yet to get a win in this season’s IAAF Diamond League after finishing 14th in the 3,000m race in Doha, before settling for third in 5,000m at Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, USA.

Obiri, the Olympic silver medallist will now head back to training as she seeks to secure Team Kenya’s slot for the Africa Senior Athletics Championships when the trials will be conducted on June 21-23 at the Kasarani Stadium.

In the corresponding men’s race, Cyrus Rutto from Kahawa booked a semi-final berth to run on Thursday after winning his heat in 13:50.0 ahead of Vedick Cheruiyot from Mtongwe in 13:50.7.

In sprints, William Mbevi and Edward Ngunjiri won their respective 400m hurdles semi-finals to reach the final due for Thursday.

Ngunjiri from Thika returned 52.0 to win, relegating the 2016 Rio Olympics 400m hurdles silver medallist Boniface Mucheru (Nanyuki) to second place in 52.1.

Geoffrey Kirui of Laikipia Air Base came in third in 55.4 to also qualify for the final.

It was Mucheru’s first race since the 2016 Rio Olympics. The 2016 African Champion has been nursing injuries on both his legs.

Mbevi timed 51.6 to triumph, edging out Kahawa’s John Gikonyo and Ezekiel Bett of Thika in 52.6 and 52.8 respectively.

The 2014 Commonwealth 1,500m champion James Magut of Mtongwe timed 3:47.1 to win his 1,500m race to reach the final.

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NAIROBI, Kenya, June 6 – Mathare United came down twice to draw 2-2 away to Nzoia Sugar at the Sudi Stadium in Bungoma as the Kenyan Premier League returned on Wednesday with mid-week fixtures hosted in different venues across the country.

Free-scoring Elvis Rupia, who is currently leading the KPL top scorer chart, grabbed a brace for Nzoia but Mathare were able to salvage a point through Samuel Olwande and Cliff Nyakea.

In other results, Nakumatt FC climbed off the relegation zone to sit 12th in the standing with 20 points after thrashing struggling Wazito FC 3-0, Sofapaka beat Chemelil Sugar 1-0 while Thika United were beaten 1-0 by Posta Rangers.

At the Sudi Stadium, Rupia, who was recently awarded the Sports Journalists Association of Kenya (SJAK) April Player of the Month, sent Nzoia ahead after striking early with a well weighted shot from range after spotting Mathare shot-stopper Robert Mboya off his line.

Minutes later, Mathare pleaded for penalty but center referee Nyabera Libese ignored after Brian Otieno handled in the box while blocking Nyakeya’s low cross.

On the other end David Odhiambo forced Mboya to a super save with a lethal strike.

Mathare finally levelled the scoring in the 18th minute through Samuel Olwande who raised high to nod home after connecting Omondi’s delivery to see the match head to the breather with both sides tired 1-1.

On resumption, Rupia completed his double in the 59th minute after connecting to Wandera’s cross from the left with a thunderous drive.

However the celebrations did not last long as Mathare restored parity in the 66th minute from a Nyakeya fine finish after being set through on goal by Clifford Alwanga.

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MACHAKOS, Kenya, Jun 6- Star striker Esse Akida stepped off the bench to score the winner six minutes from time as Harambee Starlets edged closer to their second consecutive African Women’s Cup of Nations (AWCON) with a 2-1 win over Equatorial Guinea in the final qualification match.

Starlets will now need any kind of draw in the return leg to be played in Malabo this weekend to earn a ticket of playing in African women’s football premier tournament in Ghana in September.

Starlets had come from a goal down with Jade Boho Sayo scoring in the 38^th minute, but a brilliant strike from Teresa Engesha took Kenya level.

Starlets left the best for the final minutes of the game with two substitutes combining, Akida side footing a low cross from Cynthia Shilwatso.

David Ouma’s girls looked organized from the first minute, playing a structured game but failed to get much in attack.

Inside the opening minute, they had the first chance when Mwanahalima Adam’s cross from the right fell on Neddy Atieno, but the army girl’s first control let her off with the ball going too close to the keeper.

Skipper Wendy Achieng had another effort off a freekick in the 12^th minute but the effort from range went wide with the keeper beaten.

The visitors hadn’t settled in the opening minutes of the match, but they kept posing danger time and again, Jade Boho Sayo being the threat with her trickery on the ball from the flanks.

In the 21st minute, she dribbled her way into the edge of the box, but her shot went straight into keeper Poline Atieno’s arms.

Four minutes later, Equatorial Guinea came very close when Dorine Nina’s freekick from deep found an onrushing Gloria Chinasa, but her diving header went wide with the Kenyan backline caught off their guard.

But a relaxed Kenyan side didn’t seem disoriented by the few threats and they kept building play, though at times the transition from defense to attack wasn’t fast enough.

On the half hour mark, Atieno had another chance to break the deadlock when he rushed to Engesha’s freekick which had deflected on the wall, but her connection from close range came against the side netting.

Of the few occasions The West Africans had a chance at goal, they managed to finally break the deadlock in the 38^th minute when Sayo headed in at the edge of the six yard box off a Genoveva Anonman corner from the right.

-Engesha goal

However, the home girls made an immediate response and in emphatic fashion, Engesha striking a long range shot from almost 35 yards out after sighting keeper Lucrecia Boabaila off her line.

In the second half, Starlets should have been 2-1 up after just four minutes but Dorcas Shikobe’s shot after being teed up by Cheris Avillia went wide.

Ouma made his first change pulling off Sheryl Angachi for Esse Akida in a bid to add some spice into attack. The home girls had another golden chance in the 58^th minute when Akida laid up Adam with a cross from the left but the striker’s effort on the volley went just wide.

On the other end, Kenyan keeper Atieno made a brilliant save to tip over a header from Gloria Chinasa who had gone high unmarked from another of Anonman’s deliveries.

Ouma decided to go all out attack, pulling out Neddy Atieno and goal scorer Engesha for Mercy Achieng and Cynthia Shilwatso.

The team increased the intensity upfront with the fresh feet in attack, piling pressure on the visitors. Adam almost scored the second in the 73^rd minute when she attempted to catch the keeper off her line with a shot from range, but the custodian managed to backtrack and turn the ball behind for a corner.

The pressure finally bore fruit with six minutes to play when Akida turned up at the edge of the six yard box to turn home a cross from Shilwatso which found the Equatorial Guinea backline off their feet.

The girls managed to seal their rear and ensured they kept the slim win.

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NAIROBI, Kenya, June 6 – Sports Cabinet Secretary Rashid Echesa on Wednesday evening flagged off two teenagers  who will represent the country in the sixth edition of the Football for Friendship (F4F) tournament that will precede the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Russia.

Terming them as the ‘only  Kenyans’ at the World Cup, Echesa urged Jadidi Ndakumbi and Myles Muriuki  to be good ambassadors of the country at the World Cup.

“It is unfortunate that I am only meeting you guys this late, I could have loved to have a conversation with you early enough,” Echesa while handing over the flag to the 12-year-olds stated who will leave for Moscow on Thursday night.

“As a country we need to have structures that will ensure, the national teams performed batter at all age groups,” the head of the Sports Ministry flanked by Gatundu South Member of National Assembly Moses Kuria offered.

In the meantime, Jadidi has been drawn in team ‘Komodo Dragons’ and will be joined by a young footballer from Brazil, Wales, Dominican Republic,  Guinea Bissau and Philippines in the tourney that will be played in around robin format.

Jadidi who wants to be a professional football player and whose role model is Belgium’s Heden Hazard says he can’t wait to get to Moscow to showcase his abilities on the field, together with other equally talented juniors.

“I am extremely happy to be part of the of F4F, and of course the opportunity to meet and play with my new teammates. The paring of the teams is in line with the core values of the tournament which includes, making friendship, promoting equality, peace and respect for different cultures and traditions,” Jadidi who is full sponsored by oil merchants  Gazprom ,official partner of FIFA and the World Cup,  told Capital Fm.

Myles, who will travel as a young Journalist says he was intrigued by the professional at a tender age after his father bought him a camera, who has been handy in telling his story and also that of his peers at school.

“I believe as a journalist, nothing will be suppressed. I want the whole world to know what is happening, In Russia, I will highlight Jadidi’s progress,” Myles said.

F4F is supported by 211 countries and regions! For the very first time, young athletes from all parts of the world where football is played will meet on the same field. We live in an age where people all over the world seek to unite behind the principles of equality and respect for each other.

The tournament will bring together 32 International Teams of Friendship athletes of different nationalities, different genders and different physical abilities to play in one team.

The age of players is 12. Each International mixed Team of Friendship will be trained by Young Coaches – football players of 14-16years from different countries.

The tournament will run from 8-15 June 2018 and the youngsters will also have the opportunity to watch the opening ceremony of the 2018 FIFA World Cup and the first match pitting host Russia and Saudi Arabia at the Luzhniki, Stadium in Moscow.

-By Amos Abuga-

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