Police has work to do as Nairobi United close in on CAF history

Kenyan football clubs Kenya Police and Nairobi United experienced mixed fortunes in the CAF inter-club campaigns over the weekend, with Police stumbling at home in the Champions League, while Nairobi United took a major step towards history in the Confederation Cup.

At the Ulinzi Sports Complex on Friday, Kenyan champions Kenya Police were stunned 1-0 by Sudan's Al Hilal Omdurman in the CAF Champions League second preliminary round first leg.

The defeat came as a major blow for the law enforcers, who are on a mission to become the first Kenyan team to reach the lucrative group stage of the continental showpiece.

A solitary strike by Adama Coulibaly in the second half silenced the home crowd and left Police with a mountain to climb ahead of the return leg set for this weekend at the Martyrs of February Stadium in Benina, Libya.

Despite the loss, Police head coach Etienne Ndayiragije remained optimistic that his team can turn things around away from home.

"We created many chances but failed to finish them," said Ndayiragije. "It's part of football, and we must learn to be more clinical. We still have another 90 minutes to play, and our dream is not over yet. The boys must show hunger and belief because we still have a chance to make history."

Police had earlier survived a scare in the first preliminary round against Somali champions Mogadishu City Club, advancing on the away goals rule after a tense 3-3 aggregate result. They won the first leg 3-2 but fell 2-0 in the return leg.

Now, the Kenyan champions must score at least two unanswered goals in Libya to keep their continental hopes alive.

Al Hilal, however, are planning to capitalise on their large Arab fan base in Libya to push their side through to the group stage. The Sudanese can't host matches at home.

While Police's campaign hit turbulence, Nairobi United continued their fairytale run in the CAF Confederation Cup after stunning 11-time Tunisian champions Etoile Sportive du Sahel 2-0 at the same venue on Sunday.

The win placed the newly promoted side on the brink of making Kenyan football history in their debut continental campaign.

For Nairobi United, the result evoked memories of Gor Mahia's heroic group-stage appearances in 2018 and 2019, when the record Kenyan champions defeated South Africa's SuperSport United and Cameroon's New Star in the final qualification rounds.

Former Mathare United coach and current Nairobi United technical director, Salim Ali, praised his players for their focus and teamwork.

"I think it is a good lead for us playing at home," said Ali.

"We hope to maintain the same thing when we go away, and I believe that with the team we have and the character we have shown, we can do even better. Leading 2-0 is good, but we still have work to do."

Ali dedicated the victory to former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, who was laid to rest on the same day, and to the club's patron, Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja.