FKFPL: AFC Leopards drop points again as Posta Rangers tear Shabana apart

Posta Rangers marked a return from an international break in style putting to an end their three-game winless streak following a 3-1 victory over Shabana FC in a match played at the Kenyatta Stadium in Machakos on Saturday.

Prior to the clash, Rangers had played three straight stalemates while Shabana were coming from a 2-1 win over Nzoia Sugar FC and were keen to improve on their league rank.

John Kamau’s charges, however, had other plans as they looked to have perfectly utilized the international recess as the team got the match underway in the fifth minute through Felix Olouch who netted his first goal for the mailmen since linking up from Bandari last window.

The lead lasted for only five minutes as former AFC Leopards captain Eugene Mukangula, who coincidentally, had the armband for the Glamour boys in Machakos leveled for Shabana in the 10th minute.

The goal did not push back Posta, who have developed a winning mentality this term as they continued to fire attacks into the Tore Bobe area from all flanks of the field and it got rewarded in the 18th minute as Brian Otieno unleashed a thunderbolt leaving Erick Ongiri hapless in goal.

A lapse in concentration and defense mix up as has been the song with Oscar Kambona’s charges this season, turned things from bad to worse as Ongiri fumbled with a back pass to turn the ball into his own net for Rangers third.

Nothing was there to write home in the second stanza as Posta maintained the lead to collect all the maximum points which see them maintain the top spot on 25 points, four ahead of second-placed Gor Mahia who take to the field on Sunday against Muhoroni Youth at the Raila Odinga Stadium in Homabay

Shabana, meanwhile, remains in 14th position with 10 points in what was interim coach Kambona’s second match since replacing his former boss Sammy Okoth just before the international break.

Meanwhile, at the same venue, a relegation six-pointer between two former Kenya Premier League champions Sofapaka and AFC Leopards ended with the Big Cats picking their seventh draw of the season leaving them with one win from twelve Football Kenya Federation Premier League games after playing out a one-all draw in Machakos.

Brian Yakhama converted a 66th-minute penalty for the Leopards that Tomas Trucha's troops held on to the last minute and when they thought they had secured a second win of the campaign, veteran midfielder Humphrey Mieno struck in the 90+2 minute to grab a share of the spoils for Batoto Ba Mungu.

The draw places Leopards fourteenth on the standings with ten points while Sofapaka remains rooted at the bottom of the table with eight points from 12 games.

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Elsewhere, at Kasarani Annex, Nairobi City Stars continued their dominance over Kariobangi Sharks as they dispatched the William Muluya-coached side 3-1 on Saturday afternoon.

Mohammed Bajaber opened the scoring for the city boys with two minutes on the clock before Vincent Owino converted from the spot at the stroke of halftime to hand the Simba Wa Nairobi a 2-0 lead heading into the breather.

Owino completed his brace two minutes after the restart scoring from the penalty spot while Geoffrey Onyango scored a 56th minute penalty that only served as a consolation for the Sharks.

The win meant that the Nicholas Muyoti-coached Nairobi are yet to lose a league match against Kariobangi on five occasions and takes them to ninth on the log with 15 points while Sharks drops to 13th with 13 points.

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In Mombasa, Bandari had the unlikely goal scorer goalkeeper Joseph Ochuka rise to the occasion to score in the 78th minute and rescue a point for the home side after Talanta had gone ahead in the 28th minute in a league game penciled at Mbaraki Sports Club.

The stalemate took the John Baraza-instructed side to fourth on the standings with twenty points, a point ahead of Talanta who are sixth.

Football Kenya Federation Premier League action continues on Sunday with seven games on the cards.