AFC Leopards head coach Fred Ambani has praised his players’ discipline and effectiveness from set-pieces after they scored a stoppage-time winner to claim a thrilling 2-1 victory over Kenya Police in their SportPesa Premier League clash at Nyayo Stadium on Tuesday.
With time running out and Police threatening to settle for a point, Leopards mounted one final attack to break their opponents’ resistance and secure their first win of the season.
“When a team is struggling to break through, it becomes very difficult to find the back of the net from open play, so we have been working on set-pieces to create chances,” said Ambani.
Ambani is determined to end the club’s league title drought but insists that unity, discipline and a game-by-game approach will be crucial to sustaining their challenge.
“We want to challenge for the title, but we must remain united, stay grounded and take every match as it comes,” he said.
Ambani’s emphasis on preparation proved decisive against a Police side that fought hard but paid the price for failing to close out the match.
“We knew we had to be more deliberate in our approach and take advantage of the opportunities available to us,” he said.
Police coach Nicholas Muyoti was left to rue a frustrating evening after his side showed attacking intent but failed to turn promising spells into a victory. His pre-match call for greater firepower upfront proved particularly relevant as Police conceded late in the game.
“We need more punch upfront, and that is what we are working on going forward,” Muyoti had said before the match.
The first half was a bruising, tightly contested affair, with both sides exchanging challenges but struggling to find a breakthrough. Adama Kanteh combined with Kelly Madada before shooting narrowly wide, while Tyson Otieno beat his markers and struck the woodwork in the 44th minute. Madada tested the Police goalkeeper again in added time, but the law enforcers survived the late first-half pressure.
The interval was overshadowed by the dismissal of Leopards fitness trainer Vincent Mbwabi, who was shown a red card.
Ingwe wasted little time after the restart. Four minutes into the second half, Semo delivered a dangerous set-piece, and Kevin Otiala rose above the defence to power home a header, rewarding Ambani’s focus on dead-ball situations.
Police refused to give up. Yves Koutiama struck the woodwork in the 57th minute before the law enforcers equalised three minutes later.
Edward Omondi carved open the Leopards defence and squared the ball for Elvis Rupia, who finished from close range.
Both coaches turned to their benches as the contest intensified. Ambani introduced Ellias Mugane and Victor Otieno in the 64th minute before Boniface Munyendo replaced Madada. Muyoti also made several changes, including bringing on Levine Odhiambo for the injured Omondi.
Otiala nearly scored again in the 77th minute, meeting James Kinyanjui’s corner but sending his effort inches wide. Leopards continued to press, and their persistence finally paid off deep into stoppage time when Ronald Sichenje scored the winner.
The victory lifted Ingwe to four points from two matches following their opening-day draw against Bandari, while Police remained on one point after suffering their first defeat of the campaign.
