Mombasa-based teams, Mombasa Stars and Congo Boys, won their first league matches in the National Super League (NSL) and Division 1 Zone A matches, respectively, at Serani Sports Ground on Saturday.
Mombasa Stars clinched a 1-0 win against Kibera Black Stars, marking their first victory of the season after a tough start with four losses and a draw. Alfred Mangingi scored the decisive goal through a penalty in the first half, bringing much-needed relief to his team.
Their Head Coach Muhamed Hussein ‘Madaga’ stated that he was optimistic that the win would come.
“After today’s match, the spirit has risen as we have gone five matches without a win till today. I believe my players still need to work hard; although we won, we did not have a good game,” said Madaga.
Kibera Black Stars Coach, Edwin Lavatsa, believed the game was balanced while they had their chances but they failed to capitalise on them.
“We will put on work on our finishing, as that was our big problem today. Today referees destroyed the game in the second half while we looked for an equaliser; they were awarding our opponents so many fouls that they did not deserve,” lamented Lavatsa.
The match saw its first attempt in the 13th minute from Rodgers Okumu, who took a shot on goal, but the Kibera Blackstar goalkeeper made a save. Just a minute later, Lucky Kaingu of the Mombasa Stars missed another opportunity with a shot that went wide.
In the 26th minute, Rodgers Okumu was fouled by Engine Ochieng inside the penalty area, awarding Mombasa Stars a penalty, which Alfred Mangingi successfully converted.
Mombasa Stars nearly extended their lead in the 33rd minute when Lucky Kaingu fired a dangerous shot, but it narrowly missed the target.
Kibera Blackstar had a chance to equalise in the 75th minute with a free header from Engine Ochieng, but he couldn’t capitalize. In the last minute of the game, Victor Ochieng found himself one-on-one with the Mombasa Stars goalkeeper but failed to find the net.
Meanwhile, Congo also celebrated their first match of Division One, defeating Dynamo FC 2-0. Goals by Ali Juma and Godwin Joseph secured the victory after a challenging run with four draws and one loss.
By Abdulrahman Shariff
