AFC Leopards head coach Thomas Trucha has urged his charges to tuck away the FKF Cup as they firmly train their sights on a grand return to continental football after seven years in the cold.
Ingwe beat Shabana FC by a solitary goal at the Mamboleo Stadium in Kisumu to punch a quarterfinal ticket, effectively bolstering their aspirations for the nation's second-biggest silverware.
Kayci Odhiambo — fresh from the Four Nations assignment with Harambee Stars — scored the all-important goal in the 69th minute to steer his side to victory.
"We would all be glad to grace the continental stage once again after a long time in the cold. It's a dream we can easily achieve if we keep the momentum intact in our three next matches," Trucha remarked.
Trucha's counterpart at Shabana, Sammy 'Pamzo' Omollo said they were the better side in the match, only that they were not fortunate enough to convert their chances.
"We camped in our opponent's goalmouth for better part of the game and could have beaten them by a huge margin if we had used our chances well enough," Omollo stated.
Leopards have a tricky tie against Division One side Compel FC in their next encounter and Trucha has warned his squad not to be overconfident. "There are no underdogs at this stage of the competition. We must ensure we are in our best element to accomplish our goal," he quipped.
Compel pulled off yet another surprise in their campaign, stunning National Super League giants Mara Sugar 2-0 at the Jomo Kenyatta Stadium in Kisumu on Sunday.
The amazing lower-tier outfit had earlier turned the tables on another NSL side Kajiado FC whom they beat by a similar margin in the round of 32.
Philip Simiyu latched on to a loose clearance to break the deadlock in the 37th minute of the action-packed encounter.
Dominic Buronya's rasping close-range effort then put the results beyond doubt with just 10 minutes of play left on the clock. Compel tactician George Mutimba lavished praise on his charges for adhering to his script.
“Our plan from the onset was to destroy our opponents using counterattacks and I'm glad the boys managed to execute it effectively,” Mutimba said.
On his part, Mara head coach Benedict Wanjala said they would resume training immediately with their sights firmly trained on securing promotion to the Kenyan Premier League next season.
Defending champions Kakamega Homeboyz also advanced to the quarterfinals of the FKF Cup after clinching a 1-0 victory against Tusker at the Jomo Kenyatta Mamboleo Stadium on Saturday.
Oliver Machaka's 24th-minute scintillating effort was all the defending champions needed to secure a slot in the last eight.
In another match at the same venue, Bungoma Stars' fairy tale came to an abrupt end after crashing 5-4 to Sofapaka in the penalty shootout following a two-all draw in regulation time.
Elsewhere, Kenya Police secured a 3-1 win over Mombasa Stars. KCB booked their spot in the quarterfinals with a 3-1 victory over fellow Kenyan Premier League side Bidco United.
