By Fredrick Nadulli aka Razor,
ADMINISTRATION POLICE 1-3 SOFAPAKA
2010 GOtv champions Sofapaka had little trouble seeing off low tier side Administration Police to cruise to the semis of the shield tourney.Elder statesman of Kenyan football John Baraza helped himself to a double,on sixteen and fourty minutes, before defender Collins Shivachi put the tie to bed with a firm header off a Cliffton Miheso corner with twenty five minutes on the clock.
Complacent defending however enabled the Police team to pull one back on eighty minutes,substitute Robert Jagero unleashing a 30-yard left foot scorcher that beat David Okello all the way.
AFC LEOPARDS 3-2 TUSKER
Struggling Leopards were dead and buried before they came back to life to complete one of cup football’s major comebacks in Kenyan history.
Jesse Were fired the brewers into an early lead,powering a shot past Patrick Matasi with barely five minutes gone.He got his second half an hour later,running onto a goalkeeper Samuel Odhiambo clearance to lob over Patrick Matasi as the Leopards defence was caught square.
The cats got a lifeline when on sixty two minutes Lloyd Wahome handled in the area.Nigerian Austin Ikenna sent Odhiambo the wrong way.
They pressed on and were duly rewarded,albeit with a tinge of luck,when Matasi’s long clearance was headed in by Wahome.While the alemen were yet to fathom what hit them,midfielder Humphrey Mieno,virtually unnoticed all afternoon,finally came to the party with a well-taken half volley that sent their otherwise subdued fans into delirium.
AFC will meet Sofapaka in the second semi,the other will be between low division sides West Sugar and Rangers.
Winners of this competition get a direct ticket to represent Kenya in the CAF confederations cup.