Leopards book date with Sharks in GOtv Cup final: Sharks will play in a Cup final in their debut season

Leopards

Kitenge was the saviour for Ingwe while Masoud’s brace was enough for the Kariobangi side to sink Sony.

AFC Leopards booked a GOtv Shield final date with Kariobangi Sharks after both sides beat their respective semifinal opponents at Afraha Stadium on Sunday.

Leopards had to dig deep to see off a resilient National Super League side Vihiga United 1-0 as Sharks silenced former Kenyan Premier League champions Sony Sugar 2-0 in the first semifinal.

After being frustrated to a barren first half draw in an end-to-end thrilling encounter, Leopards secured a vital breakthrough from Alexis Kitenge’s 85th minute penalty kick after his goal-bound effort was blocked by Vihiga defender.

However, Edward Manoah’s side will have themselves to blame after their strikers wasted a host of scoring chances.

In an earlier match, Masoud Juma produced a man of the match performance, scoring a brace to inspire Kariobangi Sharks against Sony Sugar.

Juma returned to haunt his former employers, capitalising on their defensive frailties and scoring on either half to secure a first-ever domestic Cup final slot for Sharks.

“It is not that Masoud is trying to prove his critics wrong; the boy is just in the form of his life right now and he is enjoying it,” Sharks coach William Muluya said of his brace hero.

“We showed character against a very experienced and tough team. I am happy we managed to go through. We know it will not be easy in the final, but we are ready for any team.”

Sharks went ahead on the half-hour mark through Masoud Juma’s sublime finish in the box. Five minutes later, Juma could have doubled the lead after being released through by Mathew Odongo but he overhit the ball while dribbling.

In the 52nd minute, Sharks midfielder Francis Manoah squandered a golden chance in the box before the referee denied Sony what looked like a clear penalty after Yema Mwana was tripped in the box.

Amos Asembeka then saw his feeble header on the hour mark easily gathered by Sharks goalkeeper Jeff Oyemba before Sven Yida header flew over the bar on the opposite end. Moments later, Masoud’s shot hit the side netting as his back line blocked Sony’s three attempts in succession.

Masoud then capitalised on Sony’s defensive blunder in the 81st minute to make it 2-0.