Bandari were held to a 1-1 draw by Shabana FC on Sunday afternoon, January 19, at Mbaraki Sports Club in Mombasa.
The match marked the return of Bandari to their home ground after it was closed for renovations for almost six months.
Brian Michira had just 30 seconds to give the Gusii-based club the lead. However, Joseph Onyango scored in the second half to equalize the match, resulting in a stalemate.
The result keeps Shabana in fifth place with 24 points after 17 matches, while Bandari moved from eighth to sixth with 23 points after 16 matches.
Speaking after the match, Bandari’s coach, Ken Odhiambo, stated that his team needs to address their first-half struggles.
“In the first half, I have seen that we have started poorly, not just in this match, but in others as well. We are getting chances, but our finishing is not up to standard, so we need to go back to the drawing board,” Odhiambo told Azam TV.
On the other side, Shabana’s Peter Okidi blamed the match officials, stating that his team was denied two clear fouls that could have secured a win rather than a draw.
“I want to talk about the officials. A foul is a foul. I think this game should have been a win for us because there were two penalties I was denied.
I will go back and check them but to me, those were fouls we deserved, and they could have won us the match,” Okidi said after the game.
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In the first 30 seconds of the match, Brian Michira capitalized on a blunder by Bandari’s Joseph Omosinde to give Shabana the lead, marking his eighth Premier League goal.
In the eighth minute, Ezekiah Omuri almost doubled Shabana’s lead, but his shot went wide.
Hassan Beja made a dangerous run four minutes later that could have given Bandari the equalizer, but his shot was intercepted for a corner.
A minute later, Darius Msagha and Brian Michira combined for a foul on Bandari after a rough tackle, but the free-kick did not change the score.
In the 25th minute, Msagha and Michira made another dangerous attack, but their attempt was intercepted. Bandari pressed for an equalizer in the 38th minute, but William Gitamu’s shot was deflected by Shabana’s defense.
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Beja Nyamawi also tried his luck in the 41st minute, but his shot went over the bar, denying Bandari a chance to level the score.
The first half ended with Shabana leading 1-0.
In the 49th minute, William Gitamu was fouled in the box, but Maxwell Mulili made a brilliant save to deny Bandari an equalizer in the second half. In the 54th minute, Gitamu had another chance, but his shot went wide of the right post. Izzadim Juma also missed an opportunity in the 59th minute.
Brian Michira came close to scoring after a brilliant pass from Ezekiah Omuri, but Mohamed Siraj intercepted the pass. Omuri was substituted for Austin Odongo in the 62nd minute.
In the 72nd minute, after some brilliant play from Mohamed Siraj, Joseph Onyango equalized for Bandari with a well-taken finish, after the hosts had made several attempts.
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Bandari came close to taking the lead through efforts from Beja Nyamawi and William Gitamu, but Maxwel Mulili was sensational with the saves in the 82nd minute.
Both teams made a few more attacks before the final whistle, but they ultimately settled for a 1-1 draw.
Shabana will face Sofapaka in their next match on Sunday, January 26, while Bandari will have a midweek match against Police FC.
Elsewhere, at Kenyatta Stadium in Machakos, title contenders KCB were held to a 1-1 draw by Nairobi City Stars. KCB scored an own goal to give City Stars the advantage before Philemon Nyakwaka equalized for KCB.
