Ruthless Leopards maul Bandari to set up grudge replay with Kakamega Homeboyz

Mozzart Cup: Ruthless Leopards maul Bandari to set up grudge replay with Kakamega Homeboyz

Mark Kinyanjui 17:10 - 30.04.2023

Ingwe wasted no time as they drilled in three goals within 25 minutes.

Twelve-time Kenyan champions AFC Leopards ruthlessly bundled Bandari out of the Mozzartbet Cup with a 3-0 first half mauling to set up a potentially incendiary semifinal against Kakamega Homeboyz.

Leopards were in their marauding best with fleet-footed winger Victor Omune and Jaffari Owiti leading the demolition party. It only took eight minutes for Ingwe to draw the first blood courtesy of a well taken penalty by Omune after Kevin Ndemi fouled Owiti in the box.

Ingwe nearly made two nil in the 18th minute when Eugine Mukangula’s pass found Peter Thiong’o on the right flank but his cross was quickly intercepted by Bandari defender Andrew Juma.

It just never looked like Ndemi’s day as he put the goal into his own net from the resulting inswinging corner by Eugine Mukangula.

Bandari’s midfield of Ndemi, Fidel Origa and Douglas Mokaya just could not stay compact and contain Leopards’ midfield, and they would make it three in the 23rd minute after a counter attack.

Owiti who had been causing problems all afternoon and won the penalty for the first goal ran at pace past Mohamed Siraj having gotten on the end of a defense-splitting pass by Mukangula, making it 3 in the 23rd minute.

Anthony Kimani’s men needed to stop the bleeding wound, and they would then find some foot-hold in the game, starting to create some inroads. They had the opportunity to reduce the deficit in the 33rd minute when a long ball by Bernard Odhiambo found Felix Oluoch who controlled the ball well first hand but overhit his shot way over the bar.

Bandari right-back Omar Somobwana just could not contain Owiti’s speedy bursts down his flank and he nearly scored another goal in similar fashion to the third but Juma got in just in time to deny his effort.

The Coast-based outfit came out much better in the second half, having more of the ball as they started to create some chances, having introduced Hassan Abdallah to give the side some attacking impetus.

Bandari came close to reducing the deficit in the 58th minute when an early cross by Siraj found substitute Johana Mwita, but his shot hit the crossbar in an amazing version.

Their waves of attack left themselves vulnerable to counter attacks down the flanks, and Owiti continued to cause havoc, nearly scoring yet another goal in the 69th minute when he took advantage of a gap created on the left flank by the out-of-position Somobwana, but his left footed shot hit the side of the net.

Bandari had yet another chance to reduce the deficit just 2 minutes later, when an attack caused confusion in the Leopards’ box, but their custodian, Lewis Opio denied Abdallah.

Mwita tested Opiyo yet again in the 79th minute when he got on the end of an Andrew Juma long ball over the top, but he could not beat the FKFPL joint-top clean sheet holder, with Kimani’s charges resorting to use Andrew Juma’s long range passes from the back to bypass AFC Leopards’ press and create goal scoring chances.

Kimani could only help but cut a forlorn figure as full-time loomed, dashing their hopes of qualifying for next season's CAF Confederations Cup.

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