Katereggas early strike lifts Leopards past Sony

Katereggas early strike lifts Leopards past Sony

It took Allan Kateregga just two minutes to score the all important goal AFC Leopards needed to sink visiting Sony Sugar in the Kenyan Premier League (KPL) tie staged on Saturday on the eve of the club elections.

The Ugandan winger found the back of the net with a powerful header off Bernard Mang’oli’s corner after his cross had been deflected to his path by Sony’s defender Joseph Omweri.

Despite playing without main striker in the first half, Ingwe kept on knocking on the sugar millers door with Katerrega, John Ndirangu, Yusuf Suf and Jack Bruno trying their luck  with recognised forwards; Kepha Aswani benched and Paul Mungai Kiongera absent through injury.

Leopards climbed into the top ten following the victory settling at ninth with Sony moving the opposite direction to 11th.

Elsewhere, Charles Momanyi’s goal was all Kakamega Homeboyz needed to sink Chemelil Sugar 1-0 to move up to eighth while Western Stima and Posta Rangers settled for a barren stalemate in a match that the power men’s Joash Onyango was red carded in the 50th.

Rangers are now tied with Stima on 27 points but Henry Omino’s charges are better placed on goal difference in sixth.

At Nairobi’s Nyayo National Stadium, Sony settled in the game after the early setback and came close to levelling the match in the 10th when successive corners that forced Ingwe keeper, Ian Otieno to deny both Masoud Juma and Justin Monda with smart saves.

Leopard’s reserve striker Bruno, promoted from the side’s youth team tore through the opponent’s defence in the 21st only to fire his shot over the bar.

The most promising attempt for Sony in the first half came towards the end when Justin Monda cut in cross across goal but all the men in green who raced inside Leopards’ box failed to tap the ball in.

Ingwe’s coach Ivan Minnaert was forced to substitute injured Saleh with Eugine Ambulwa shortly after the breather, as Sony sought more strength upfront by introducing Boniface Muchiri for Valen Mahero.

Muchiri almost found the equaliser in 65th through a free-kick which deflected off Leopards’ wall before Otieno expertly denied him again in the 78th from a close range shot.

Aswani, who limped off last week in the 1-1 draw against Mathare United, was introduced for Bruno before Ndirangu was withdrawn for Alfred ‘Kemboi’ Wekesa who was ill earlier in the week, as Minnaert sought to seal victory with a second goal.

Aswani was chasing an eighth goal of the campaign but spurned chances in the 83rd when his diving header found the wrong side of the post before he wasted an even better opportunity when Suf’s delivery landed on his right foot on the edge of the box.

And they almost paid dearly when Omweri’s 88th minute cross from the right hit the crossbar as Ingwe held in to complete a season double over Sony having won away 2-1 in the first leg.

Tags:

AFC Leopards Kenyan Premier League football Sony Sugar Allan Katerrega

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