Sofapaka complete Great Escape as Ushuru sink from KPL

Sofapaka completed the Great Escape to remain in the Kenyan Premier League (KPL) as Ushuru FC sunk through the relegation trapdoor on a dramatic last day of the 2016 season on Saturday.

The 2009 champions survived the drop on goal difference after hammering nine-man Thika United 5-1 in Machakos as the Taxmen returned to the second tier when the went down to a limp 3-1 defeat to Posta Rangers in Nairobi.

Both teams ended level on 26 points but Sofapaka survived with a better goal difference of -6 against -18 of Ushuru who return to the second tier after earning promotion to the KPL in 2013.

Calvin Odongo and Ezekiel Okare each notched braces for Rangers and Sofapaka in that order to decide the relegation-survival battle.

Having come from bottom of the log with nine rounds of the season left, Sofapaka sealed their Houdini act in style, pulverising Thika but they had to do it the hard way when they were forced to come from behind when Onwudi Chibueze gave the visitors the lead in the 15th minute.

Instead of their heads dropping the 2009 champions ploughed on and were rewarded on the stroke of half-time when Vincent Nyaberi hauled them level from the spot.

Over at Nairobi’s Nyayo National Stadium, Odongo and Ebrimah Sanneh traded goals for Rangers and Ushuru in the ninth and 15th minutes to put the Taxmen on the survival driving seat at half time.

The complexion of the final day battle to remain in the KPL took its first dramatic twist when Dennis Mukaisi put Rangers ahead in the 51st in Nairobi for 2-1 before disaster struck for Ushuru seven minutes later when Odongo bagged his double.

With the news filtering through to Machakos, Okare obliged to put Sofapaka 2-1 ahead in the 60th and five minutes later, KPL October Player of the Month, Noah Abich scored to give Batoto ba Mungu a healthy cushion.

With the tables completely turned, John Baraza’s charges embellished the score-line further when Dennis Odhiambo and Baraka Badi were sent off for Thika in the 65th and 70th minutes.

Okare bagged his second with quarter of an hour to go before veteran Moses ‘Dube’ Odhiambo sealed the rout in the 81st.

-Kenyatta trouble-

As Baraza and his charges celebrated like 2009 after the final whistle, the fate of Ushuru boss Ken Kenyatta is in huge doubt after the well financed side went down without much of a fight.

Kenyatta sent his boys to dig in with tackles flying high right from the moment the whistle blew but neither side could string enough passes to create scoring chances in the physical contest.

Kenyatta altered his initial formation, pulling back supporting striker Roosevelt Batty into the right wing-back position and letting Sanneh roam as the false nine.

The rest were into a solid wall occasionally advancing forward to try fashioning a second goal once they had pulled level at 1-1.

Zedekiah ‘Zico’ Otieno’s Rangers enjoyed the lion’s share of possession but everything they threw at the opposition barely came off for them with Blatty exhibiting exceptional calm at the back.

Striker John Nairuka wasted the chance to restore his side’s lead, failing to connect a well measured cross from left-back Achesa Titus.

Rangers wasted no time settling into the second half,  creating two quick chances and making the second count.

With his teammates marked out Mukaisi took matters into his own hands, beating Ngaira Fan with a shimmy before cutting in and pulling the trigger.

Odhoji pushed back the initial shot but there was no stopping Mukaisi from tucking in the rebound firing high into the top corner with a rocket of a shot.

The hosts were 3-1 up in a blink of an eye as Odongo creeped in behind the defence to turn in Joseph Nyaga’s low cross with a simple finish.

The visitors’ back-line was slowly falling apart, scampering off their lines as they all surged forward in search of an unlikely second.

Sensing that the opposition were now theirs fit the taking Rangers went all out and almost made it four in the 80th minute but Nyaga razed his shot over the bar from close range after wonderful play from Nairuka.

Ushuru finally created their first chance of the second half, with winger Denis Wafula collecting a pass from John Kiplangat before outpacing Hashim Mukhwana but his poor finish let him down.

Benched for the clash, Rangers’ top scorer Timothy Otieno was given a chance to add to his tally for the season, coming on for Mukaisi but there was too little he could do with five minutes but the fate had been sealed for the Taxmen.