Kenya Police FC will play in the 2024 Mozzart Bet Cup final after defeating AFC Leopards 1-0 in the continuation of Sunday’s abandoned semifinal fixture, played on Monday at Police Sacco Grounds, Nairobi.
The game on Sunday was prematurely halted at the hour mark after second assistant referee Samwel Kuria was hit with an object thrown by nearby fans, prompting the remainder of the game to be played on Monday.
At the time of the abandonment, Police were leading 1-0 thanks to an eighth-minute header from Tito Okello.
And on Monday, Police only had to hold on to their slim advantage, something they did with relative ease over roughly 38 minutes of action, eventually punching their way to their first cup final, and with it, a chance to collect their first piece of silverware since their promotion in the top tier.
AFC Leopards on the other hand, fell at the same hurdle as last season, failing to make it to the final in yet another trophyless campaign.
Prior to the game, it was fairly uncertain whether the game would take place, with sources from the club disclosing to Mozzart Sport that there was “no communication” in regard to the players showing up for the game.
With Football Kenya Federation scheduling the game for an 11:00 AM kickoff, that looked to be the case as there were no signs of the Ingwe players at the time.
On the opposite end, Police players were already warming up, and all indications leaned towards them being handed a walkover, before the AFC Leopards technical staff walked on to the pitch at exactly 11:21 AM.
Finally, a match was going to take place.
The game kicked off at 11:30 AM and as per the set rules and regulations, resumed where it ended the day earlier – with a Patrick Matasi freekick from his own box.
Ingwe was the team that looked hungrier here, and almost equalized 66 minutes in, when a dipping Kayci Odhiambo freekick was expertly palmed over the bar by Matasi.
Police, operating on the break, thought they had gained a two-goal advantage after David Owino lashed a shot past Levis Opiyo, only for the assistant to raise for offside.
Playing in front of media and team officials, it was easy to hear the frustration from Leopards players, mainly following their missed opportunities.
One of those fell to Arthur Gitego but he smashed the side-netting, and the other was a ferocious shot from Kelvin Kimani, which Matasi saved.
A frantic finish by Ingwe later saw Clifton Miheso strike the foot of a post, but lady luck was not on their side, their title charge coming to a disappointing end.
