Nakumatt FC stop Zoo as Nzoia march on in NSL

Nakumatt FC stemmed their recent rot and put their promotion push back on track when they beat high-flying Zoo Kericho 2-1 in the highlight National Super League (NSL) clash of the weekend on Sunday.

The result at Nairobi’s Ruaraka Grounds made no difference to their positions on the NSL log but the Retailers moved level on 65 points with third-placed Kariobangi Sharks but trail on goal difference as Zoo (66) missed the chance to move clear of their closest challengers for second place.

Timonah Wanyonyi struck a spectacular first half goal before Jacob Onyango headed in the second three minutes into the second half as Nakumatt raced to a healthy advantage.

Hot-shot Mike Madoya then pulled one back from the spot in the dying minutes for Zoo with the win seeing Nakumatt complete the double over the Kericho-based side, having won the reverse fixture by the same margin.

It was a timely revival to their hopes of earning promotion into the country’s top flight after failing to win in their last five outings.

In the opening half, both sides rarely threatened with both Madoya and Bernard Meki going close but the game sparked to life in the 44th.

Wanyonyi pulled a finish from the top drawer with his sensational effort even stunning the goal scorer who waited until his teammates reacted before storming to the corner flag to celebrate after he collected a pass from David Naftali before beating his marker with an exquisite turn and unloading an unstoppable shot.

There was no time for keeper Vincent Misikhu to react as the ball slammed against the underside of the post and into the back of the net.

The hosts got their second half off to a flyer as Onyango powered in a header from  a corner just three minutes after the whistle.

The visitors attempted to launch a comeback with a neat passing move wasted by midfielder Dominic Ouma but he battled back to recover the ball from his marker, Christopher Wekesa just outside the box.

The midfielder then spotted Kipkirui making a run towards the six-yard area but the forward arrived too late and Jacob Onyango swept it away.

Zoo were gradually getting a foothold of the proceedings and tested Ouma with a long range effort but it lacked the sting to trouble him as Nakumatt resorted to sitting at the back to protect their advantage.

At the 70th minute, Bernard Odhiambo left defender Nicholas Meja with a quick turn of pace before unleashing a cracker that whizzed just inches beyond the top corner with Ouma rooted to the ground.

Zoo were then awarded a promising free-kick after Meki brought down Odhiambo with a reckless challenge.

Madoya’s shot from the free-kick appeared to be squeezing into Ouma’s left hand side but he keeper dived wide enough to palm it out into a corner.

The corner resulted in a penalty as Kipkirui was tugged down while trying to rise for the header and a nerveless Madoya stepped up to convert coolly.

It was little too late as the hosts reverted to their solid defending and no-nonsense clearing which frustrated both the visiting fans and their players alike.

Madoya and Kipkirui both had late half-chances to salvage a point but the hosts shut them out to to hand Zoo only their first defeat in seven matches.

Leaders Nzoia United recovered from their first defeat of the campaign midweek to stop visiting Palos FC 2-1 to extend their tally at the top to 82, 16 ahead of Zoo as their march to the Kenyan Premier League continues unabated.