Advantage Kenya As SportPesa Cup Sets Social Media Ablaze

DAR-ES-SALAAM, Tanzania- The 2019 SportPesa (SP) Cup got off to an explosive start on Tuesday in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania on a day of high drama that added to the football fiesta served by the opening two quarterfinals that ignited social media in the process.

At the end of a pulsating day, Kenyan outfits Bandari FC and Kariobangi Sharks FC booked their semi final tickets in contrasting fashion, leaving home teams Singida United and Tanzania Premier League leaders Yanga SC contemplating what might could have been.

There is no doubt Day 1 belonged to Kenya as the third SP Cup set off with a bang with the tournament hashtag #SportPesaCup becoming the most trending topic on Twitter in both countries with Facebook also set ablaze.

The Dockers from Mombasa who were appearing for the first time at the tournament styled as the Kenya versus Tanzania football battle made the last four after edging Singida 1-0, with Ugandan William Wadri doing all the damage by seamlessly converting from the spot in the second half.

That paved way for the first ever meeting of Sharks and in form Yanga, a team that lost for the first time on home soil last weekend and at the end of a throbbing 95 minutes of football, the crowd gathered at the National Main Stadium in Dar witnessed a five-goal thriller that ended in a stunning 3-2 victory for the Kenyans.

It was a sweet return to Tanzania for Bandari boss, Bernard Mwalala, who was a Yanga star in his playing days as he tasted victory in the land he made his name as a head coach.

“We now have a mission and the ability to reach the final. This was the most-difficult match and for every team that is here, the hardest game is the opener.

“We are happy to emerge from the trap of our first game. We dominated the first half, they did not have many shots on goal and we performed to our best and our player was named the man-of-the-match,” the tactician who led Bandari to a second finish in the 2018 SportPesa Premier League (SPL) gushed.

Mwalala and his charges can now enjoy the view from the stands during Wednesday’s mouth-watering quarterfinal between home titans Simba SC and SPL rivals, AFC Leopards SC to establish the team they will face in Friday’s semi.

“The best team won and we can pick from that and once we find out who our next opponents are, we can sit down and plan for the game to see what we will do,” the tactician added as his team maintained their unbeaten start to the new season.

For Singida, defeat kept up a sorry run of form as their new Serbian head coach, Dragan Popadic tasted his second successive victory since taking charge a fortnight ago.

Animated Popadic

SPOT ON: Bandari FC's William Wadri shoots to score the winner from the spot in their 1-0 victory over Singida United FC in a SportPesa Cup quarterfinal clash at the Main National Stadium in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania on January 22, 2018. PHOTO/SPN 

“I have to try with my assistants to improve our position in the league. If you ask me about my club’s position, I will tell you no, we are not yet there. About this cup, we wanted to win but lost 0-1.

“About these people from Kenya, I asked them about their position and they were also 50-50 and they beat us with a penalty but they have some good players,” an animated Popadic, told reporters after the loss.

Long-serving Popadic who counts Simba, Cotton Sport FC (Ethiopia) and Rwanda national team in his rich resume had earlier expressed concerns his team that finished third at the 2018 SP Cup could only rely on the unpredictability of knockout tournaments to advance.

Their plan almost came to fruition after they sat deep and frustrated Bandari for long stretches of the match with their goal keeper, Said Lubawa, playing his part in what was a well rehearsed tactic by going down at the slightest of touches as they played for post-match penalties.

However, in the sweltering heat of Dar, his team slowly started running out of steam and when an attack from the left drew their defence out, Boniface Maganga could only handle the ball in the box for the defining moment of the match.

With the heat rising in the stands, Wadri who received USD500 after the match for beat Lubawa to settle the contest.

In the second quarter, Sharks were well on course for victory when Duke Abuya and George Abege punctured Yanga’s resistance with well-executed finishes in the first stanza and they held on until the final three minutes of the 90.

That is when the contest truly sparked to life and gave the SP Cup an incident-packed highlight reel show that will rerun for years to come.

Defensive blunder

BROTHERLY LOVE: Kariobangi Sharks FC strikers, George Abege (left) and Duke Abuya celebrate scoring against Yanga SC during their 2019 SportPesa Cup quarterfinal at the Main National Stadium in Dar-es-Salaam on January 22, 2018. PHOTO/SPN

Substitute Amisi Tambwe seized on a defensive blunder to score only for Abuya to claim a well-taken brace before the latter netted deep in stoppage time to spark a coming together that saw both sets of players lose their rag.

William ‘Kanu’ Muluya- the man who led Sharks to a first ever title when they won the 2018 SportPesa Shield domestic cup- was almost livid after the final whistle after witnessing his side almost snatch the lottery of a penalty shoot-out from the jaws of victory.

“We watched their last loss in the league and studied the game with my players. We knew Yanga are the leaders in Tanzania and have good players and we decided to focus on what we could execute well.

“They have fine players in every position and perhaps their undoing was not getting an early goal,” Sharks head coach William Muluya stated.

He rounded on his players for almost letting a big fish slip when Simba threatened a last-gasp comeback to deny them one of their finest victories over a team that owns a record 27 Tanzanian league titles.

“When leading 2-0 in the closing moments, my centre half lost concentration and I will urge them to remain focused for the entire duration of the game.”

Opposite number Mwinyi Zahera blamed fatigue for another SP Cup stunning upset at home following their second SP Cup loss at home following their semi final exit on penalties in the 2017 edition.

“We had planned to play three matches in this tournament. Everything I do is aimed at achieving set goals but we lost this game in the first half where my players looked heavy.

“We had a long trip from our last league game, we flew in late and my players looked tired in the first half. They also missed chances, wasting the first in only the third minute,” the Yanga tactician rued.

He refused to blame the referees for the chaos that ensued after they scored their seconds in their efforts to race back to the centre circle to restart the game.

“The game was handled well by the three officials. However, if the referee did not miss the foul before Sharks scored their third goal, perhaps things would have been different but they are only human,” charged.

“I did not see any card handed out and at the end of the day, the players came together to pray and greet each other but I will speak to my players about how to remain calm in emotional moments,” Muluya offered on the tussle that only added to the tension in the closing moments of the game.

Sharks advanced to await the winner of the quarterfinal between titleholders Gor Mahia FC whom they have beaten in their last three meetings in the SPL and KPL Super Cup and Mbao FC, the other new boys of the tournament from Tanzania.

Abuya left the stadium also USD500 richer for being named the official man-of-the-match.

PERFECT BALANCE: An acrobat performs ahead of the 2019 SportPesa Cup quarterfinal between Yanga SC and Kariobangi Sharks FC at the Main National Stadium in Dar-es-Salaam on January 22, 2019. PHOTO/SPN