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Leopards deal Ulinzi suckerpunch to go second
AFC Leopards' Christopher Koloti leads teammates in celebrating his goal against Mathare United during FKF Premier League match on May 14, 2025 at Dandora Stadium.
For a match played on a Thursday, the final score was a proper throwback. AFC Leopards defeated Ulinzi Stars 2-1 in a dramatic 2025/26 FKF Premier League Round 14 match played at the Ulinzi Sports Complex on Thursday, marking the first time since 2018 a league match between the two teams was determined by that scoreline.
Tyson Otieno gave AFC Leopards the lead at the stroke of halftime from a clever set-piece routine that was punctuated by a howler from Ulinzi Stars goalkeeper Timothy Odhiambo. Samuel Mbaja squared the ball across the face of goal, Otieno hit it on the turn towards the goal, but Odhiambo had his eyes closed and legs open, allowing the ball to embarrassingly sneak into the net between his legs.
Ulinzi Stars equalised five minutes after the restart with a sumptuous goal from the newly-minted Player of the Month for November Paul Okoth.
A freekick by Telena Ochieng' floated high into Leopards' box, Okoth leaped the highest and his downward header beat Humprey Katasi at his near post.
Okoth's goal heralded a period of Ulinzi Stars dominance, with the former Migori Youth striker hitting the post in the 71st-minute.
Yet, it was AFC Leopards substitute Victor Otieno who had the final say, sealing victory for Ingwe with a curler in the 89th minute.
After Kenya Police lost 1-0 away to Murang'a Seal in a match played earlier, the win catapulted Leopards to second place with 21 points, two behind league league leaders Gor Mahia.
Speaking after the match, AFC Leopards coach Fred Ambani admitted his opponents were the better team.
"Ulinzi Stars played well and I even told their coach as much after the match. They made us suffer, especially in the second half, but what counts are the goals," Ambani said.
"It is good that we are collecting points that are helping stay close to the top of the table. We need to keep doing that so that the gap between us and the top team does not increase. That will reduce pressure on us and it will keep motivated as we work smart towards achieving our targets," he added on the significance of the result.
Ulinzi Stars, despite a gallant performance, slid to 16th with 13 points.
Their coach, Stephen Ocholla, termed the result as "unlucky".
However, he had positives to take.
"For a while I have not seen such character from my boys. Trying to come back from a goal down against a good team like AFC Leopards is not easy and today I have seen a great improvement from my boys in terms of character. We are trying to build something and eventually we will meet our objectives," Ocholla said.
On the referee's performance, Ocholla said: "I cannot complain about the officiating. It is not in my nature. As a team, we just have to do our part."
Tyson's opener was preceded by both teams missing glorious chances.
Bonface Muchiri had his 2nd-minute freekick scooped over the bar by Katasi.
Tyson had a bicycle kick going narrowly wide in the 9th minute.
Katasi saved from Okoth in the 15th minute as a follow-up attempt by Brian Okello went wide.
AFC Leopards captain Victor Omune forced a save from Odhiambo in the 28th minute after bulldozing into the Ulinzi box.
Six minutes later, Odhiambo flew across his goal to stop a Mbaja freekick.
The second half belonged to Ulinzi Stars though. They had the better chances in a period referee Kelvin Maina struggled to assert his authority. His leniency saw rough challenges going unchallenged, leading to an 18-man brawl in the 61st-minute sparked by a scuffle between Okoth and AFC Leopards defender Kayci Odhiambo.
Maina was pushed and shoved in that brawl, leading his assistants and reserve referee David Muriuki to intervene and calm the situation. When the dust settled, Maina only booked Okoth and Odhiambo and played progressed with him waving play on after every rough tackle, even after Muchiri was hacked in the box in the 76th minute.
Still, the match went on with Ulinzi Stars launching more attacks, as AFC Leopards defended desperately until Otieno snatched victory for them in the 89th minute.
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