AFC Leopards lethal striker Elvis Rupia will not let their Betway Cup loss to arch-rivals Gor Mahia dampen his quest for a maiden 'Golden Boot' award in the top-flight league.
Rupia put in a man-of-the-match performance during the encounter where he entertained the paltry crowd present with his shuffling feet and supersonic speed. He rattled the crossbar once before twice slamming the side of the net with his rasping shots.
His best moment, however, was nipped in the bud when Gor's skipper Harun Shakava sent him tumbling in the area for a clear penalty that wasn't awarded much to the chagrin of Leopards distraught fans.
Amidst the fuss kicked up by the controversial decision, Rupia says he prefers to let referees do their job.
"I also thought it should have been a penalty but then the referee handling the match is well trained and the best I can do is to give him room and space to perform his role. My job is to play and his work is to officiate. So, let's just believe he made the right decision," said Rupia.
The 26-year-old Kenyan international said he and his teammates would now pump all their energy into their remaining Football Kenya Federation Premier League assignments in a renewed bid to scoop their first top-tier title since 1998.
"We can't continue dwelling in the past. We still have the FKF-PL title to play for after missing out on the Caf Champions League and CAF Confederations Cup slots," said Rupia.
But that's not the only prize the striker is out to bag this season. Having already netted 14 goals this season, Rupia also has his eyes trained on the Golden Boot award. Only Kariobangi Sharks' striker Eric Kapaito who has 18 goals already stands on his way but Rupia says the gap doesn't bother him at all.
"We still have some matches left where I have an opportunity to score and increase my goal tally. The gap isn't that big and I believe I still stand a chance to walk away with the award at the end of the season," said Rupia.
Rupia says he doesn't believe for once that competition in the remaining FKF-PL fixtures will be reduced and the momentum slowed down by the fact that representatives in the Champions League and Confederations Cup assignments have already been identified.
"The teams are still the same, and the players haven't changed, so I don't think anything will change. Further, everyone would want to be called league champions," said Rupia.
Leopards are currently third on the top-flight log with 40 points, seven adrift of leaders Tusker and one above Gor.
