Football

AFC Leopards stop Police to hand Gor Mahia advantage in title as relegation survival battle heats up

Victor Omune celebrates after scoring the winning goal against Kenya Police FC

By Michael Kirwa | Wednesday, May 15, 2024

Gor Mahia will have one hand in the title if they edge KCB tomorrow in Murang'a

The AFC Leopards, Gor Mahia's eternal rivals, gave their quest for a record 21st league title a huge boost on Wednesday when they defeated 2nd-placed Kenya Police 1-0 at the Dandora Stadium. Victor Omune scored the all-important goal in the 74th minute.

Ingwe's victory brought Kenya Police's invincibility in 2024 to a screeching halt, as the law enforcers lost for the first time in 16 matches this year. Before the loss to the Leopards, Kenya Police were on a seven-match winning streak in all competitions.

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Kenya Police will have a chance to revenge the defeat when the two clubs meet again in the FKF semifinals on May 26.

The loss leaves Police in second place with 54 points, and the gap between them and Gor Mahia may stretch to 12 points should K'Ogalo win against KCB on Thursday. On the other hand, the victory propelled AFC Leopards to fourth place with 47 points, surpassing both Bandari and Nairobi City Stats, ranked 5th and 6th, respectively, on goal difference.

#FKFPL "Ingwe never die"

Goli la kujifunga la golikipa Patrick Matasi lilivyovunja ‘unbeaten’ record ya Kenya Police waliokuwa wamecheza mechi 15 bila kupoteza.

FT: AFC Leopards 1-0 Kenya Police

Ilikuwa LIVE #AzamSports3HD #LigiKuuKenya #FKFPremierLeague #KenyanPremierLeague… pic.twitter.com/IHRZk1LCCd
— Azam TV (@azamtvtz) May 15, 2024

Elsewhere, at the Police Sacco Stadium, a late goal by Mohamed Bajaber from the penalty spot earned City Stars a 2-2 draw against Tusker FC.

Tusker had raced to a 2-0 lead in the first half with goals from Mike Kibwage (13th minute) and Eric Kapaito (26th minute). The alemen looked on course to registering a fourth consecutive league victory and, as a result, leapfrogged Kenya Police into second place. However, City Stars returned stronger in the second half, with Samuel Kapen reducing the deficit in the 75th minute before Bajaber's 92nd-minute goal completed the comeback.

The results leave Tusker in 3rd place with 53 points, while City Stars will go into Round 31 in 6th place with 47 points.

Nairobi City Stars vs. Tusker was one of four matches played on Wednesday that ended in a stalemate.

At Sebastiab Park in Murang'a, Murang'a Seal's defence kept in-form striker John Makwata and the Kariobangi Sharks at bay as the two teams battled to a goalless draw. The draw saw Murang'a Seal remain 12th with 36 points as the Kariobangi Sharks leapfrogged Bidco United into 9th place on goal difference with 41 points.

Muhoroni Stadium in Kisumu also witnessed another goalless stalemate between Muhoroni Youth and Bandari, a result that saw both teams extend their winless streak to five league games.

The result complicates Muhoroni Youth's quest to survive relegation, as, coupled with the day's other results, it left them 17th with 28 points. Bandari is fifth with 47 points.

Shabana's 1-1 draw with Talanta at the Raila Odinga Stadium in Homa Bay saw them squander a great opportunity to guarantee their presence in the top flight next season. The result, with Sofapaka defeating Posta Rangers 2-1 at the Kenyatta Stadium in Machakos, saw the Glamour Boys drop to 16th place with 29 points as they switched places with Batoto ba Mungu, who rose to 15th with 31 points.

In Homa Bay, Talanta had taken the lead against Shabana in the 51st minute but Mathew Tegisi rescued a point for the home team with a goal in the 61st minute.

In Machakos, goals from Darius Msagha (16th minute) and Rodgers Kipkemboi (39th minute) helped Sofapaka end a nine-match winless streak in the league with a 2-1 win over Posta Rangers. The mailmen finished eighth with 43 points after losing.

In the day's other matches, Nicholas Kipkirui scored for Kakamega Homeboyz in the 36th minute to gift them a 1-0 win over Nzoia Sugar. The win saw Abana Abeingo rise to seventh with 44 points, while Nzoia Sugar remained rooted at the bottom of the 18-team league table with 18 points.

Earlier at the Dandora Stadium, Ulinzi Stars, who had their first league win in five matches thanks to Yakeen Mutheli's 91st-minute goal, defeated host team Bidco United 1-0.

The result saw Bidco United slip to tenth with 41 points, while Ulinzi Stars remained 13th with 35 points.