AFC Leopards coach Anthony Kimani has warned his charges against resting on their laurels after seeing off an impressive Kariobangi Sharks side 2-0 at MISC, Kasarani on Sunday.
Kimani says they are taking one match at a time and Sunday’s results should not necessarily be used to predict their future performance as they prepare to tackle Posta Rangers in their next fixture.
“We shall take each match as it comes. We shouldn’t allow ourselves to be carried away by today’s victory. Posta Rangers is a good side and we shall be underestimating them at our own peril,” said Kimani.
Meanwhile, his Kariobangi Sharks counterpart William Muluya rued missed opportunities as his charges crashed for a second consecutive time having suffered a more severe 4-2 loss against Tusker at the same venue a fortnight ago.
Muluya said that unlike Leopards, Sharks failed to utilize their chances and that’s what cost them the match. “Rupia had two shots on target and he made use of one. We can only blame ourselves. Leopards played well,” said Muluya.
He said he would consider rotating players in the future to break the monotony in the starting lineup because, apparently, the absence of his key players who are nursing injuries has greatly affected the quality of the side. “Looking forward to rotating players instead of relying on a few players,” he added. Sharks face City Stars in their next tie.
Leopards rose to fourth on the log on 15 points as Elvis Rupia took his tally to nine goals this season, closing in on Eric Kapaito who leads with eleven goals despite firing blanks in yesterday’s encounter.
Ingwe made their intentions clear as early as the 4th minute when their inroad into the Sharks territory yielded a set piece after Austin Ochieng was brought down by Dan Sakari on the edge of the box.
Four minutes later Sharks were attacking on the other end but the home team squandered a chance to take the lead after firing their corner kick off the mark.
In the 11th minute, Elvis Rupia took his goal tally to nine this season when he pounced on a Collins Sivachi pass to put Leopards in the driver’s seat.
Sharks secured a set piece a few metres from the area in the 14th minute after Collins Sivachi committed an infringement against Mokua but Peter Lwasa’s effort swivelled inches above the rooftop.
Minutes later Eric Juma and Fabrice Mugheni were both yellow carded after they were caught up in a heated brawl in the Leopards area during a corner kick. In the 38th-minute Leopards’ skipper Robinson Kamura rattled the woodwork from a set piece.
Leopards came back more menacing after the break and two minutes into play Brian Bwire was forced into full stretch to parry away Rupia’s rasping shot.
Elsewhere, Kakamega Homeboyz beat Bidco United 2-0 at Bukhungu while KCB extended their lead on the log with a convincing 3-1 win over Western Stima.
