Kotoko will begin their continental campaign against Kariobangi Sharks
Kenya’s representatives in the CAF Confederations Cup Kariobangi Sharks made their continental football debut with a punch hitting Djibouti’s Arta Solar 7 6-0 in the first leg of the preliminary round played at the Kasarani Stadium on Tuesday evening.
Duke Abuya provided a brace of assists for George Abege and Patillah Omotto with Sidney Lokale, and Fidel Origa scoring one a piece while an own goal added to Solar’s struggles in a one-sided fixture.
“I am very pleased with how we performed today. The players were really hungry to get into action and have a taste of continental football and they did it in style. But we cannot celebrate much because we still have another 90 minutes to play in Djibouti,” Sharks coach William Muluya said after the match.
His Solar counterpart Musa Mara said that the Nairobi weather and altitude threw them off balance but has promised the side will do their best to try and overturn the result in the second leg.
“For sure it will be hard, but we will try to play better than we did today. Football, anything can happen. They scored three goals in 15 minutes today. Why can’t we do the same at home. We will do our best and see what comes out of it,” the humerous Mara noted.
The home team showed they were in for business and it only took three minutes for them to get into the lead. Abuya raced into a well weighted pass from Patillah Omotto before squeezing it past the keeper from the edge of the six yard box.
Sharks continued to dominate and in the eighth minute Harrison Mwenda had a chance when a deep cross from Michael Bodo on the right found him at the backpost The winger danced past one of his wingers but his eventual low shot came against the side netting.
Sidney Lokale made it 2-0 after eight minutes when he cut into the box and dribbled past the keeper before tapping the ball home. Lokale should have had his second a minute later but his header from Mike Bodo’s cross hit the crossbar.
On the quarter hour mark, Sharks made it 3-0 when Nickson Omondi’s dipping header from a corner saw the Solar defenders bungle the ball against each other resulting in an own goal.
Solar had their first sniff at goal in the 17th minute when Komenan N’da Konan tried to cut the deficit with a long range freekick but it went straight to the keeper.
Six minutes later, Konan who looked the most lively of Solar players should have made it 3-1 when a through pass found him through on goal but his rasping shot came against the bar from point-blank.
Sharks though stretched the lead to four goals with Patillah Omotto thumping a header from the edge of the six yard box from an Abuya cross.
Solar finally got the away goal they had craved for from the penalty spot, Konan converting himself after he had been brought down by Tom Teka.
The home side kept the surge on in the second half with Abege tapping the ball home 15 minutes from time after being put through by Abuya before Origa completed the haul with an easy tap in from a yard out.
