Tusker Take Charge Of SPL: Fightback Floors Spirited Sofapaka
5th January 2019
John Avire had given Batoto ba Mungu a first half lead at Kenyatta Stadium in Machakos before the Brewers turned it around to win a five-goal thriller 3-2
- The Brewers scaled to the top of the pile on goal-difference after a stirring second half fightback after John Avire gave Sofapaka the lead in the 38th minute
However, whatever Matano told his charges at half time worked a treat when his transformed team exploded with a three-goal blitz inside 15 minutes of the second stanza.
American Melles Medo who left Mt. Kenya United FC (formerly Nakumatt FC) to take charge at the 2009 title winners remains with only their opening day victory over his former side to show as his side slumped to 10th with six points from as many games
NAIROBI, Kenya- Tusker FC leapt above Mathare United FC to the summit of the SportPesa Premier League (SPL) on Saturday afternoon when they came off the better of a five-goal thriller with a 3-2 victory at Kenyatta Stadium in Machakos.
The Brewers scaled to the top of the pile on goal-difference after a stirring second half fightback after John Avire gave Sofapaka the lead in the 38th minute.
Quick fire goals from Timothy Otieno and John in the 48th and 51st turned the contest on its head before Tusker made it 3-1 through Justine Omari in the 65th.
Batoto ba Mungu netted in the 92nd when Omari put through to his own net but it was not enough to deny the Brewers a huge win that lifted them to 13 points, level with Mathare at the top with the 11-time domestic league winners enjoying a better goal difference.
The result put pressure on Mathare who play champions Gor on Sunday in another huge crash of the weekend.
Victory was the fourth in a row for Tusker, the only other team this decade to lift the title apart from Gor following their successes in 2011, 2012 and 2016 since their upsetting 0-1 loss to Western Stima FC on match day two.
American Melles Medo who left Mt. Kenya United FC (formerly Nakumatt FC) to take charge at the 2009 title winners remains with only their opening day victory over his former side to show as his side slumped to 10th with six points from as many games.
His team got off to an encouraging start when Avire, the forward he brought from Mt. Kenya opened the scoring through a free kick for a 1-0 half time lead.
However, whatever Matano told his charges at half time worked a treat when his transformed team exploded with a three-goal blitz inside 15 minutes of the second stanza.
There was still a twist to the tale in added time when Omari gave his teammates a fright when he beat his own keeper.