Hosts Bidco United on Monday thrashed former champions Ulinzi Stars 3-0 in a Football Kenya Federation Premier League (FKF-PL) match at Moi International Sports Centre (MISC) Kasarani Annex.
In the other FKF-PL clash held at the same venue, KCB and 2009 champions Sofapaka battled to a barren draw.
Samuel Ndungu put Bidco on the path to victory with a brace on 18 and 32 minutes, before Ezekiel Okare sealed victory for coach Anthony Akhulia’s side with a strike on 68 minutes. Ulinzi’s coach Bernard Mwalala rested most of his top players in the match against Bidco.
The loss was Ulinzi’s eighth in 30 matches. Having won in 11 matches and drawn the same number of matches, the soldiers are eighth with 44 points, while Bidco are 13th with 34 points from 30 matches.
It was their ninth win of the campaign.
“The team has played so well. We controlled both halves so well and while they had their moments of scoring, we were the better side,” said Akhulia.
“We will continue working on our attack until when we can score without struggling.”
Ulinzi’s assistant coach Hamisi Mohamed said: “We played well save for individual errors. It is good give other players the playing opportunity.”
Following the barren draw with Soafapaka, KCB remained fifth on the log with 54 points, while batoto ba mungu are 12th with 35 points. Sofapaka got off the blocks first through South Sudan’s Jacob Panoam’s blocked attempt on two minutes.
KCB’s Haniff Wesonga (right) tussle with Sofapaka Ben Stanley Omondi during their FKF Premier League match on May 15, 2023 at Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani Annex ground.
Photo credit: Chris Omollo | Nation Media Group
They survived moments later when KCB squandered two successive attempts, with stand-in-captain Henry Onyango testing the goalkeeper Kevin Omondi from close range.
It was not until at the stroke of the half-hour mark that the two sides again curved out chances, KCB’s goalkeeper Bryne Omondi blocking two successive efforts by the visitors, before the bankers’ defender Haniff Wesonga headed over the crossbar the other end.
The 2009 champions thereafter took the game into KCB’s half but they failed to translate their dominance into goals.
They escaped on 44 minutes when Onyango’s cross inside the box was cleared for a fruitless corner-kick.
A miss communication between KCB’s defenders almost cost coach Zedekiah Otieno’s side after Panoam almost found the back of the net.
He again came close to breaking the deadlock with an overhead kick on 65 minutes, goalkeeper Bryne Omondi again coming to his team’s rescue.
