10 man Tusker ascend to table summit after win over Sharks

Photo Credit: Tusker FC.

FKFPL 10 man Tusker ascend to table summit after win over Sharks

Mark Kinyanjui 17:07 - 13.05.2023

Gor Mahia can reclaim top spot by beating AFC Leopards on Sunday.

10-man Tusker FC were able to hold their nerve to beat struggling Kariobangi Sharks 1-0 in a match played at the Nyayo National Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

The Brewers got off to an excellent start with a goal through Deogracious Ojok in the second minute. A brilliant move on the left saw Mike Oduor send Levin “Leftie” Opiyo through on the overlap before the left back whipped in a low cross near the byline that Ojok slid in to score.

In the 11th minute, Sharks had an opportunity to equalize. William Muluya's charges broke through on the right with Fortune Omotto finding space to take a shot, but Bwire put his one on one skills to the test and saved it, with center back Tom Teka picking up the spills.

The game became fairly even from then on, but in the 28th minute, the Brewers nearly had a hangover moment when Levin passed the ball back to his goalkeeper, Brian Bwire, but it was wayward and slipped in behind for a corner kick.

Sharks were struggling to be effective in the final third , showing their clear lack of confidence, which prompted William Muluya into making an early change. In came Tyson Otieno for Fortune Omotto in the 36th minute.

Tusker could have added a second goal in the 41st minute when Oduor shot the ball just over the bar after a set-piece delivery by Levin was poorly cleared by the Sharks' defence.

The Kariobangi-based side continued to find problems dealing with areal balls, and keeper Gideon Ogweno nearly caused panic after he mistimed an areal ball that landed on the feet of Eric Zakayo, but he made what was arguably the miss of the season after failing to find the target of a goalkeeper-less net.

Muluya had set up the team in a 3-5-2 formation and decided to revert to a 4-2-3-1 formation by making more offensive changes before the start of the second half. In came Biron Otieno and Sharif Musa for Geoffrey Onyango and Ghai Panchol before the start of the second half.

Sharif Musa nearly made an instant impact, as a long ball over the top bypassed the Brewers press before he found himself in a one on one situation with Bwire, but Bwire took advantage of his miscontrol of the ball with his dodgy first touch.

Tusker also made substitutions of their own, with Matano seeking fresh impetus from the flanks. Eric Zakayo and Mike Oduor came off for Lawrence Luvanda and Shami Kibwana. In the 56th minute, Ojok had the opportunity to double his tally, but his shot sailed way off the mark.

Shariff Musa stretched the Brewers’ defence off the right flank in the 59th minute when he took advantage of a gap left by Levin but Teka expertly read the danger and timed his sliding challenge to perfection.

Sharks started gaining some momentum and dominated the ball in Tusker’s half for a sustained period, forcing Matano into making more defensive changes as his side opted to stay compact in their usual style after taking the lead. Rodgers Ouma was subbed on for Humphrey Mieno.

However, Tusker would have their work cut out after David Odoyo was sent off for a second bookable offense for a foul in the 78th minute.

Sharks created a flurry of attacks with most of the possession, but struggled to be precise in the final third.

Tusker thought they had sealed the tie when Kibwana got the ball on the counterattack and dribbled past a disorganized Sharks defense and scored, but his goal was astonishingly ruled out for offside.