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Nairobi United advance to next round of Caf tournament
Ovella Ochieng (right) of Nairobi United fights for the ball with Mustafa Kizza of NEC during their Caf Confederation Cup match at Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi on September 27, 2025.
What you need to know:
- Aware that they were in grave danger of elimination due to Nairobi United’s two away goals advantage, NEC started the encounter strongly.
- The changes reinvigorated the host and it was no surprise when they equalised through Duncan Oluoch in the 65th minute from close-range.
Nairobi United are through to the second preliminary round of the 2025/26 Caf Confederation Cup after securing a 1-1 against Uganda’s National Enterprise Corporation (NEC) in the return leg of the competition’s first preliminary round at Nyayo National Stadium on Saturday.
Naibois booked their ticket to the next round on the away goal rule after a 3-3 aggregate draw. Last week, they held NEC to a 2-2 draw in the first leg played in Kampala.
Nairobi United are making their debut continental football following their triumph in last season’s Mozzart Bet Cup.
In the second preliminary round, Naibois will face the aggregate winner between Al Ahli Wad Madani of Sudan and Tunisian giants Étoile Sportive du Sahel. Al Ahli hold a 1-0 advantage heading into Saturday’s return leg in Tunisia from 8pm.
At Nyayo Stadium, the match between Nairobi United and NEC attracted hundreds of Nairobi fans, most of whom had been ferried to the match venue.
Caught napping
Aware that they were in grave danger of elimination due to Nairobi United’s two away goals advantage, NEC started the encounter strongly.
Just four minutes into the match, the visitors sent a warning to their opponents when midfielder Titus Ssematimba forced goalkeeper Kevin Oduor to a brilliant save from close range.
Ssematimba was again unlucky in the 18th minute, his header sailing over the bar. Then Ronald Innocent squandered a great chance in the 24th minute from a counter-attack.
NEC took a deserved lead in the 26th minute through Charles Waibi, who rifled the ball into the net after latching onto a throw-in with the host’s defense caught napping in the box.
NEC were forced into a change in the 34th minute after Innocent picked an injury with Ajo Emmanuel replacing him even as Nairobi United created just a handful of chances in the first half.
Superior physicality
In the second half, the home team made three changes with Shami Kibwana, Michael Karamor and Brian Mogire entering the fray.
The changes reinvigorated the host and it was no surprise when they equalised through Duncan Oluoch in the 65th minute from close-range.
Earlier on, NEC had rattled the woodwork before Kiwana’s free-kick narrowly missed the target on the other end.
Towards the end of the match, NEC piled pressure in search of the match winner, but Nairobi held firm to the final whistle with some of their players collapsing to the ground in relief.
Ahead of the clash, Nairobi’s coach Nicholas Muyoti had pointed out that the visitors’ superior physicality was their biggest advantage over his players.
