By Fredrick Nadulli aka Razor,
The 2014 TPL title race was blown wide open last evening in an ill-tempered match that for the umpteenth time witnessed ugly scenes.
With pundits predicting a Gor victory or draw at worst,Sofapaka tore the formbook to shreds to defer the defending champions’ looming party.
Victory for Gor would have rendered the subsequent results academic,but they must now win their remaining two fixtures.Anything short of that could prove disastrous.
MACHAKOS INVASION
Whenever Gor Mahia troop into this somewhat sleepy town,everything comes alive;more so in a fixture of very high stakes as this one.
Their diehard faithful,true to tradition,came to the party in the hope of wrapping up the league with two fixtures to go.
Sofapaka,themselves title contenders,were having none of it and their deserved 3-2 win means Gor have no more room for slip-ups.They must beat Muhoroni Youth in Kisumu and Ushuru in Nairobi.
Easy on paper but herculean in reality.Sofapaka will keep their fingers crossed for Gor to tumble,while making sure to overcome AFC Leopards and Tusker respectively,a potential banana skin.
Earlier on at the same venue,Mathare United and Sony Sugar cancelled each other out in an end to end affair that had all the makings of a great game.
It was a worthy curtain raiser for the potential league decider,and the one-all tie meant Sony stay in the top half of the log.
Fourty eight hours before,Tusker ensured they stay in contention with an easy stroll over fast fading Ushuru.
However,their unresolved result against Muhoroni will be an unwanted distraction at this late stage in the championship.
They will only be crowned champs if both Gor and Sofapaka drop points,and they collect nine out of nine.
Ulinzi Stars meanwhile went to Thika riding the crest of fine form and duly silenced their hosts.The Lanet soldiers continue to sweep all before them in their belated resurgence under Robert Matano.
BEHIND CLOSED DOORS
In Kisumu,AFC Leopards refused to let their troubles dog them with a crucial win over Chemelil Sugar.
The match,played behind closed doors following crowd trouble involving the Cats in their last outing,underlined just how unpredictable and capricious Leopards can be.
They drop points when least expected and notch up victories after being written off.Inconsistency has been their major undoing.
At the other end of the log,KCB earned a priceless point at Bandari to afford themselves more breathing space.And with debutantes Nakuru Allstars already relegated,City Stars appear the next likely candidates to face the trap door.
Their loss at home to Muhoroni Youth will not help their cause.They must win their remaining fixtures and worse still,pray that the bankers falter.
When it comes to such scenarios,preparing for the worst is the better option to hoping for the best.
It is like waiting for godot.
Sent from my BlackBerry®
Ex- CAF Media Expert. An expert on African football with over 15 years experience ,always with an ear to the ground with indepth knowledge of the game. I have worked for top publications including 7 years at www.supersport.com until i founded www.soka25east.com to quench the thirst of football lovers across the continent. I have trained young upcoming journalists who are now a voice in African football.I have covered World Cup,AFCON,CHAN,Champions League,Confederations Cup,Cecafa,Cosafa,Wafu and many other football tournaments across the World. Founder Football Africa Arena(FAA),Founder www.afrisportdigital.com
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