Former KPL champions Tusker bundled out of Mapinduzi Cup

By GILBERT WANDERA

KENYA: Former Kenyan Premier League (KPL) champions Tusker were  edged out of the Mapinduzi Cup after going down 4-3 on post-match penalties to Kampala City Council during their  match played on Wednesday at Amani Stadium in Zanzibar.

Tusker were the only local side still remaining in the competition after AFC Leopards were eliminated by the Ugandan side who beat them 3-0 on Sunday.

The brewers will be disappointed for bowing out at this stage considering that they were finalists last year when they went down 1-0 to defending champions Azam.

However, coach Francis Kimanzi will still be happy to have won at least two matches ahead of a what is expected to be a demanding local season.

On Wednesday, the quarter-final fixture ended in a barren draw by full time forcing the match to be decided on post-match penalties.

Reports from Zanzibar indicate that the brewers dominated in the fixture and had at least five chances to finish off the match but were let down by a blunt striking force.

When it came to the penalty shoot-out, Luke Ochieng’ and Ismael Dunga blasted wide after Clifford Alwanga, Brian Osumba and Samuel Odhiambo had scored from the spot giving the Ugandan side an advantage.

KCC scored through Tony Oduor, Habib Kavuna, Stephen Bengo and John Magoola to sail into the semi-finals.

In the semi-finals, KCC will face defending champions Azam who locked out Zanzibar side Clove Stars 2-0.

Also making it to the semi-finals were Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) who beat KMKM from Zanzibar by a solitary goal after Owen Kasule’s strike in the 42nd minute.

Elswhere, Tanzanian giants Simba featuring Kenyan defender Donald Mosoti also made it to the semi-finals of the competition following a 2-0 win over Chuoni of Zanzibar.

Mosoti joined Simba at the beginning of the year from KPL champions Gor Mahia. At Simba, he links up with former Gor Mahia coach Zradvko Logarusic and goalkeeper Ivo Mapunda, who also featured in the Wednesday win.

On their way to victory, Simba were lifted by goals from Ramadhan Singano who scored a brace in the 47th and 59th minutes.

By winning the match, Simba have set a date with Ugandan club URA in the semi-finals.

The early elimination of Kenyan clubs will no doubt raise doubts about the standards of football in the country compared to those in the region.

However, it has been argued in the past that the country’s football calendar is to blame for the poor performance at the beginning of the season.