Ulinzi Stars coach Benjamin Nyangweso has lauded the partnership between strikers Oscar Wamalwa and his compatriot Enosh Ochieng and remains optimistic this will be perfected into the new Kenyan Premier League season.
Nyangewo’s remarks come after Ulinzi Stars honoured their promise of beating Rwanda courtesy of a 1-0 victory in their last match of the 12th edition of the East Africa Community Military Games at Moi, Kasarani.
The Kenyan soldiers, who were playing for pride having surrendered their gold medal to Rwanda were determined to win the match from the first start. Ulinzi’s much-improved defence left Nyangweso with little worries ahead of the season opener.
“If today’s performance is anything to go by, I can confidently say we are fully prepared for our first match of the season because of the players' commitment,” said Nyangweso.
“The four games we have played have been part of our preparations and the chemistry in the squad has been fantastic. You could see the strong combination between Enosh and Oscar and they will get even better. This is just the beginning and we want this coming season to be better than the last one.”
“Defensively, we were brilliant and I think collective responsibility has been key for the clean sheet. We target a respectable finish once the matches get underway.”
His counterpart Mohammed Adil could not comment.
Barely three minutes into the match Oscar Wamalwa gave Kenya the lead with a 30-yard thunderous strike that left Rwanda custodian Ntwari Fiacre helpless as the Kenyan soldier marked a dream start. Enosh Ochieng evaded his marker but his pin-point header inched over the crossbar in the 10th minute as Kenya searched for a second.
Ochieng was unlucky not to have opened his account-thanks to the hawk-eyed Ntwari for the comfortable save as Kenya maintained the guard heading into the breather.
Rwanda substitute Bupra Andrew wested a glorious opportunity in the 70th minute. The attacking midfield fired straight into Ulinzi’s Timothy Odhiambo inside the 12-yard box after being put through by Sugira Ernest as they piled pressure on Kenya. Goalkeeper Odhiambo was booked for time-wasting as Kenya held on to the victory.
Kenya only successfully defended its cross country title with a silver prize in football and netball to contend with. Rwanda took gold in football and basketball as Uganda won in Volleyball.
