Laiser rule Kapenguria to win Chapa Dimba Rift boys’ title

Gilbert Kiprotich at Green Stadium

Hill Academy came from behind to stun Kapenguria Heroes 4-2 in post match penalties after a 1-1 draw in regular time to bag Chapa Dimba na Safaricom Rift title.

In the finals held Sunday at the Kericho Green Stadium, Kapenguria, the 2018 champions took the lead in the 8th minute through Samson Tanui.

Kapenguria would however miss the chence to double their lead in the first half when they missed a penalty.

Laiser who were making their debut at the regional stage would continue pushing for an equalizer in the second minutes and that would pay in the 78th when Shariff Majabe scored from the spot to equalize the scores.

The teams thereafter set up a tense encounter in the dying moments of the match but none could find the back of the net forcing the match to be decided in post-match penalties as Laiser took the top honours.

Laiser Hill head coach Anthony Kirimi could not hide his delight after masterminding an resounding comeback against Kapenguria.

“For us we knew the game was not over in the first half and that is why we continued pushing until we got the equaliser. We played a good game against a very experienced side,” said Kirimi.

Kirimi who trains the team alongside John Mwaura also disclosed some of the areas his side need to address ahead of the national finals.

“I think we need to improve on the final third. We had a lot of chances but we didn’t utilise them. We are also going to work on our stamina because we struggled a little bit to sustain our energy in the game,” he said.

On his part, Kapenguria head coach Elvis Mwanga rued the missed penalty and

“We did very well only that we did not bury the game when we lost the penalty. Also, tactically they were better than us,” said Mwanga.

Other boys teams that have already qualified for the national finals are; Ulinzi Youth (Central), Yanga FC (Coast), Berlin FC (North Eastern), Tumaini School (Eastern) and Dagoretti Mixed (Nairobi).

After the Rift, the focus now shifts to Western regional finals slated for March 21-22 at the Bukhungu stadium.