By JAMES WAINDI
Harambee Stars’ striker Mike Barasa found the back of the net in the second minute, which turned out to be the match winner as 13 time Kenyan Premier League winners AFC Leopards pipped Western Stima 1-0 in an entertaining midweek fixture on Thursday night at the Nyayo National Stadium.
This was Barasa’s eighth goal of the season and it took him to joint top where he shares the lead with Thika United’s Moses Arita.
"This is a big victory for us and it will be a morale-booster ahead of our next league match," said Barasa, who has had stints in Malasya and Tanzania leagues.
AFC Leopards coach Jaan Koops and club manager Bernard Onyango celebrate after their club’s victory over Western Stima on Thursday. INSET: AFC players pray before the match. [PHOTO: STAFFORD ONDEGO/STANDARD] |
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Leopard’s Dutch coach Jaan Koops made three changes from the team that lost 3-1 to Gor Mahia last Sunday, starting with Oscar Kadenge, Martin Imbalambala and Salim Kinje, who did not feature against Gor and leaving out John Amboko, Francis Chinjili and Nicholas Muyoti.
The changes seemed to have paid off for Ingwe who have now moved to 10th position from 12th, with 22 points from 18 matches.
Barasa, who has now scored three goals in the last three matches, took little time to break the deadlock as he lutched onto Jimmy Bagaye’s defence-spliting pass just two minutes into the match and made no mistakes from 10 yards away, beating Stima’s custodian David Juma with a left volley to send the reasonable crowd that had attended the match into wild celebrations.
Leopards could have been 4-0 up by half-time had Charles Okwemba, Jimmy Bagaye and Oscar Kadenge taken their chances.
In the 13th minute, Bagaye was released by the dimunitive Kinje, but the striker who signed for Leopards from Nairobi City Stars in mid season, delayed with the ball to allow Wesa thwart him.
Kadenge had earned his first starting place in the team since joining from Tusker, had another good chance minutes later, but failed to connect Mike Barasa’s cross, embarassingly missing the ball.
Okwemba was the other culprit, shooting the ball into goalkeeper Juma’s hands late in the first half, despite finding himself unmarked.
Former Stima’s dangerman Chinjili was introduced for Jimmy Bageya in the 74th minute, but his former employers effectively kept him at bay as he remained ineffective for the entire match.
