- Charles Momanyi scored the winning goal in a 1-0 result
- Tusker have now scaled above Police in the standings
- There are three matches left before the season ends
Tusker FC scaled up to second in the FKF Premier League table, after a hard earned 1-0 win over Police FC at the Police Sacco Stadium in South C. The victory was a massive result for them as far as the push to finish within the top two of the league was concerned, and the win was a huge result.
Charles Momanyi’s 42nd minute goal was enough for the brewers to complete a home and away sweep of Police and move one step ahead in the race to finish second this season.
The victory takes Tusker to 56 points, two ahead of Police who drop to third, and eight against leaders Gor Mahia, who play on Sunday.
Tusker assistant coach George Maina was pleased with the performance, and praised the players for putting in the hard work and ensuring the victory was sealed.
“It was a very tough match and we needed to come up with the best tactical plan. Police have a very good team and they showed that all through the season. I want to congratulate the players because they stuck to the plan we had and gave it their best,” noted Maina.
At the same time, he has heaped praise on the influence of experienced players Mike Kibwage, Charles Momanyi and Eugene Asike, saying their calmness and leadership played a great role in ensuring the team picked victory.
Tusker’s skipper Momanyi scores winner
Tusker’s Charles Momanyi and Eugene Asike celebrate
Momanyi, who scored the winning goal for the second time in three matches, said it was collective team effort.
“We played as a team from the start to the end. For me scoring, it was just a bonus but everyone worked really hard. As a team we are really happy to have secured the three points because after losing the title, we really need to finish strong as we regroup for next season,” Momanyi noted.
For Police, it was yet another tough weekend, losing back to back games, having been beaten 1-0 by AFC Leopards the previous weekend. Again, this was due to an error by keeper Patrick Matasi. Before then, they had not lost since the turn of the new year.
Assistant coach cum goalkeeper trainer Iddi Salim however backed his keeper and said Police would bounce back despite the result.
“We have lost by small margins and it is down to the whole team not just one player. These are mistakes that we can work on and we will remain solid even after this,” Salim said.
In a tightly contested game, Momanyi headed past keeper Matasi from a Eugene Asike cross. Tusker had won an indirect freekick after Matasi handled the ball from a backpass and from the resultant setpiece, the ball was cleared to Eugene Asike’s path. The defender floated a cross into the box and Momanyi beat Matasi to it, heading into an empty net.
Close contest between the two
Tusker FC’s Mike Oduor in action against Kenya Police FC
It had been a very close contest between the two sides, with chances few and far in between. Lawrence Luvanda had the first clear cut chance of the game when he dragged a low shot from the edge of the box, but the ball rolled kindly to the keeper’s arms.
In the 35th minute, Fabian Adikiny ran well behind the defense to collect a looped ball, but was cluttered down by the keeper with the Police defense clearing away.
In the second half, the brewers had to make a change, with Mike Kibwage out injured and replaced by Chris Erambo. Police piled in the pressure, but the partnership between Adikiny and Erambo in midfield cut out most supply.
The brewers had a chance in the 69th minute when Eric Kapaito struck a shot from distance, but Matasi had it well covered. Police put in the pressure in the final 20 minutes to try rally back into the game, but Tusker defended well to ensure the result remained the same.
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