Rising Bandari clinch FKF-Shield, confirm CAF Confed ticket

Bandari FC are the 2019 FKF Shield champions after defeating holders Kariobangi Sharks 3-1 in a final played over two days.

Mwana Yema’s blistering first half double and Patilah Omoto’s strike had left the tie at 2-1 on Saturday before it was rained off as captured in our previous report.

Substitute Benjamin Mosha then struck the all-important winner with a chested finish with 12 minutes left on the clock to spark early celebrations in the Bandari stand.

Victory earned Bandari Sh2 million in prize money and a ticket to the CAF Confederation Cup, securing their return to continental football for the first time in four years.

After claiming a 2-1 halftime advantage on Saturday before clash was rained off, Bandari simply had to hold on for another 45 minutes or add a third to extinguish all hope for Sharks.

An overnight break seemed to have worked against Sharks who had all the momentum on their side but were sluggish and should have been punished for it by Mwana.

After Sharks had been awarded a free-kick for Mwana’s foul on Geoffrey Lemu, the defender opted for a quick restart and his opponent put a quick foot on it for the interception.

It left him with only Eric Juma to beat but even him stood still while the Sharks players anticipated for the referee’s whistle for an infringement. It never went off but the opposition’s reaction distracted Mwana who hit a casual shot off target.

Coach William Muluya replaced Eric Kapaito with George Abege with 12 minutes on the clock but the job got a whole lot harder as Bandari struck again to go 3-1 up.

Benjamin Mosha attempted control on a long ball seemed to smack off his chest and into the back of the net.