ON RIGHT TRACK

Kakamega coach extols players after beating Embu in Talanta Hela tourney

In yet another scintillating encounter, Mandera edged Nairobi 1-0 to go top of Group A.

In Summary

•Kakamega bounced back from an earlier 2-0 loss to Homabay in their opening encounter on Thursday to thump Embu 4-0 on the second day of the competition.

•The inaugural edition of the Talanta Hela tournament that is being held at the Moi Complex Primary School in Nyeri County has attracted 10 boys' and 10 girls’ teams drawn from 18 counties.

Kakamega County team players celebrate after winning their match against Embu during the Talanta Hela football tournament in Nyeri
Kakamega County team players celebrate after winning their match against Embu during the Talanta Hela football tournament in Nyeri
Image: HANDOUT

Kakamega County team head coach Ramadhan Balala has extolled his charges after they ran over Embu in their second match at the ongoing Talanta Hela football tournament on Friday.

Kakamega bounced back from an earlier 2-0 loss to Homabay in their opening encounter on Thursday to thump Embu 4-0 on the second day of the competition.

“Our first match against Homabay was some sort of a derby which made the encounter a little bit tough. We are glad we managed to win today. The boys’ performance lived up to expectations,” Balala said.

“We intend to qualify for the finals but at the moment we shall be taking each day at a time. We are resting on Saturday to re-energize for our third match against Nakuru on Sunday,” Balala said.

The inaugural edition of the Talanta Hela tournament that is being held at the Moi Complex Primary School in Nyeri County has attracted 10 boys' and 10 girls’ teams drawn from 18 counties.

Balala lauded the initiative, saying it offers a perfect platform for youths to showcase their talent.  “The tournament will also provide a constant and reliable supply chain of quality players for the national team,” Balala said.

Mandera players celebrate after beating Kwale in Talanta Hela football tournament in Nyeri
Mandera players celebrate after beating Kwale in Talanta Hela football tournament in Nyeri
Image: HANDOUT

In yet another scintillating encounter, Mandera edged Nairobi 1-0 to go top of Group A.

Mandera head coach Abdi Ali was over the moon after his charges registered their second consecutive win following another scintillating performance on Thursday, where they stunned Kwale 2-0.

“This is a brilliant performance, especially considering that we began the tournament as underdogs,” Ali said.  “This will motivate more boys from our area to play football,” he added.

Despite Nairobi suffering their second straight loss after another 3-1 defeat to Kirinyaga the previous day, head coach Timothy Umeme expressed optimism in guiding his charges to the next stage of the competition. Umeme said his charges deserved a better outcome.

“We generally displayed a good character in the game. I can only say we’re just unfortunate because we also missed a penalty in the match.”