Tusker’s kept their double hopes alive on Saturday with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Ulinzi Stars in the first semi-final of the Mozzart Bet Cup at Nyayo National Stadium.
Substitute Erick Otieno scored the game-winning goal on the stroke of full time after connecting to Levin Joseph’s left-wing cross.
After the game, the brewers’ players celebrated the important victory by wearing defender Daniel Sakari’s jersey. Sakari was absent from the matchday squad due to the death of his father. The victory was dedicated to him by coach Robert Matano.
“Ulinzi is a well-organized team, they are very strong in all departments so we knew it would be a tough match. In the first half we were slow but second half we were stronger. I expected that and it was our game plan. It (winning both Mozzart Bet Cup and Football Kenya Federation Premier League (FKF-PL) title) will be good for me and the team. Let us wait and see if we can do it.”
Tusker tops the FKF-PL with 64 points, one above Gor Mahia with four matches left to the end of the season.
Ulinzi coach Bernard Mwalala said they paid for a concentration lapse in the final minutes of the match.
“Taking into consideration that it was a match of few scoring chances, players needed to use their chances well. In the second half, we had like three chances which if we used well, we would have scored. Tusker got their chance and used it well,” said Mwalala who remained cagey of whether this was his final match as Ulinzi’s coach.
