Nairobi United players warmup before the Mozzart Bet Cup final match against Gor Mahia at Ulinzi Sports Complex in Nairobi June 29, 2025.
Nairobi United goalkeeper Kevin Oduor asked God for courage before the ‘Nai Bois’ took to the pitch for the second leg match of their 2025-26 CAF Confederation Cup Second Round encounter against Tunisia’s Etoile Sportive du Sahel on Sunday.
The Almighty rewarded him with calmness, composure, and a vision that surpasses all human understanding.
“I expected the noise and the laser beams. All I did was to ask God for courage to face such an atmosphere,” Oduor told his club’s media on Sunday in Sousse, Tunisia, after Nairobi United eliminated the two-time CAF Confederation Cup winners to become the first Kenyan club to qualify for the group stages of a CAF competition at the first attempt.
Nairobi United won the match 7-6 on penalties after the Tunisian club tied the match 2-2 on aggregate to erase the Nai Bois’ 2-0 first leg victory. The team is now guaranteed Sh52 million for reaching this stage. Oduor was the hero for the 2025 MozzartBet Cup winners, delivering the triumph with his last two touches of the ball. He saved a penalty from the Ivorian Cedrik Gbo before converting his team’s winning kick after wrong-footing his opposite number, the Tunisian Sabri Ben Hassen.
Nairobi United's Brian Omondi (right) charges forward with the ball during their CAF Confederation Cup second round clash against Étoile du Sahel in Tunnis on October 27, 2025.
“When the moment came, I knew I had to be focused on scoring because I had to do it. I stayed cool and calm and did what I had to do for my team,” Oduor said.
Oduor saved two penalties in total despite Etoile du Sahel fans shining laser pointers on his face. His two saves were separated by six successful conversions by Etoile du Sahel, which followed him denying Nassim Hnid, the Etoile du Sahel number five, who took the first of his team’s kicks.
Looking ahead, Oduor sees a journey that can go beyond the group stages. “I see us going as far as possible,” he said. Still, he refused to be carried away by his team’s whirlwind run to stardom.
Nairobi United earned promotion to the FKF Premier League in May. In June, they won the FKF Cup on their maiden final appearance after winning 2-1 against Gor Mahia, the competition’s record champions with 11 titles.
It is that victory over Gor Mahia qualified them for the 2025-26 CAF Confederation Cup, where their triumph on Sunday over Etoile du Sahel confirmed the export of their giant-slaying heroics.
“Our focus now shifts back to the league as we await the CAF Confederation Cup draw. We have to stay humble and not underestimate the other teams,” Oduor said.
His captain, John Onyango, also shared his reflections on a match he described as “not easy”.
“The environment was hostile and we played under floodlights, an environment we are not used to. We knew about the challenges that we would face and we purposed to remain focused. We worked as a unit,” Onyango said.
Nairobi United players pose for a team photo before the Mozzart Bet Cup final match against Gor Mahia at Ulinzi Sports Complex in Nairobi June 29, 2025.
Onyango also spoke of being “ready to suffer”. “We knew that most of us have never played at that level before and because of that, we knew that we would crack at some point. However, we insisted on remaining mentally strong because no matter what would be thrown at us, we had to qualify for the next stage,” Onyango said.
Nairobi United did crack and almost capitulated in a manner reminiscent of the previous turmoil experienced by Kenyan clubs in North Africa, a territory that has never been a happy hunting ground for Kenyan clubs.
Nairobi United’s triumph over Etoile du Sahel came in what was the 47th match played by a Kenyan club in North Africa. The previous 46 matches ended in 44 losses for Kenyan clubs, with Gor Mahia’s 2-2 draw against Esperance Sportive de Tunis in 1987 and their 3-1 win over Sudan’s Al-Ahli Merowe in 2021 marking the only occasions that a Kenyan football team avoided defeat while playing in North Africa.
After a goalless first half, Etoile du Sahel broke the deadlock in the 50th minute through Mohamed Rayane Anane. The Tunisians continued to attack but Oduor and his defence kept them at bay until the 96th minute when Ghofrane Naouali forced penalties with a head that looped over Oduor into the net.
Yet, Nairobi United refused to yield and went on to win the penalty shootout, showing character which the team’s Technical Director Salim Ali attributed to the palpable belief in the team.
Mozzart Bet Cup 2025 winners: Nairobi United FC.
“Belief and mental toughness is what gave us this result. This belief has always been there and it made us foresee moments like this. People wrote us off after we drew Etoile du Sahel but we never stopped believing in our players. What I have seen from these players is something amazing, I have never seen it before,” Ali said.
The draw for the group stage of the 2025-26 CAF Confederations will be held on November 3, 2025, in Johannesburg, South Africa. Including Nairobi United, the draw will feature the other 15 winners of the second round of qualifying matches. The 16 teams will be drawn into four groups of four.
The other teams in the draw are: Al Masry (Egypt), AS Otoho (Congo-Brazzaville), Zama (Tanzania), CR Belouizdad (Algeria), Djoliba (Mali), Kaizer Chiefs (South Africa), Maniema Union (DR Congo), Olympic Safi (Morocco), San Pedro (Cote d’Ivoire), Singida Black Stars (Tanzania), Stellenbosch (South Africa), USM Alger (Algeria), Wydad Casablanca (Morocco), Zamalek (Egypt), and ZESCO United (Zambia).
Follow our WhatsApp channel for breaking news updates and more stories like this.
