- Reagan Otieno came off the bench to score the winning goal
- Police will take on City Stars in the final
- The winner walks home with Sh1mn
Kenya Police FC have punched a ticket in the final of the Elite Pre-Season Tournament after edging out Bidco United by a solitary goal in a hotly contested tie at the Kasarani Annex.
Reagan Otieno stepped off the bench to score the winning goal in the second half after an equal contest, both sides showing intention and hunger to win.
“We really put up a good fight against a very tough opponent. We had a clean sheet today and that is one of the things that really impressed me. I am pleased with how everyone performed and it shows where we are and where we want to go as a team,” Police coach Sammy Omollo said.
Bidco’s Anthony Akhulia was dejected that his side did not progress to the final, but praised their fighting spirit and will to win.
“Of course it is a disappointment that we have lost but overall, I think we gave a good performance. In the top level, tight games are decided by small margins. Just one mistake cost us the game and we had chances to score, which we couldn’t take,” said Akhulia.
Police to play Bidco
Action between Kenya Police and Bidco
Police will now take on Nairobi City Stars in Saturday’s final that will be played at the Nyayo National Stadium. City Stars beat Kariobangi Sharks 3-2 on penalties to sail to the final.
It was a game of two halves, Bidco dominating the first half while Police were more assertive in the second. The Thika-based side had some chances in the opening half. Emmanuel Mogaka attempted to catch keeper Job Ochieng off his line with a shot from almost the halfway line but it went wide.
Henry Juma also tried the same, seeing how advanced the custodian always was infront of his goal. The aim was on target, but this time the custodian managed to track back and collect.
Bidco kept pushing and they registered another effort on target after 20 minutes when Mogaka picked up a set piece from distance, curling it beyond the wall but Ochieng managing a good save for a corner.
On the other end, David Simiyu came close for Police when he was sent through on goal but his effort beyond Lucas Indeche came off the upright.
Tight second half
Action between Kenya Police and Bidco
In the second half, both sides continued weighing up the chances with substitute Michael Bodo forcing Ochieng to a fine save with a low shot from distance in the early exchanges.
But it was Police who were more adventurous upfront with coach Omollo making offensive changes by bringing in Elvis Rupia and Otieno. This partnership worked for the lone goal of the match barely two minutes after coming on.
Rupia picked the ball in the middle of the pack before feeding to Duke Abuya who made a single defense splitting pass to Otieno. The new signing from KCB did the rest of the job, sliding the ball under Lucas Indeche’s arms.
It was the goal that Police needed as they now grew in confidence. But, they couldn’t add more. It was Bidco who almost scored late, but Ezekiel Okare’s effort went inches over the bar.
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