- Kenya Police FC’s hopes of winning the FKFPL title suffered a huge setback on Friday after they were beaten 1-0 by Ulinzi Stars.
- Kenya Police FC had a player red carded in the final stages of the match that was played at the Ulinzi Sports Complex.
- Ulinzi Stars scored their goal through Boniface Muchiri in the second half of the game.
It was not a Good Friday for the Football Kenya Federation Premier League (FKFPL) leaders Kenya Police FC as their chances of winning the coveted title faced a significant setback.
Kenya Police FC, who were seeking to extend their lead at the top of the FKFPL table, suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat in the hands of Ulinzi Stars.
The pre-match favorites Kenya Police FC struggled a lot in the encounter that took place at the refurbished Ulinzi Sports Complex.
The law enforcers, who faced a lot of pressure from the hosts, had a few chances in the first half but they failed to use them.
On the other hand, their opponents registered better performance compared to recent displays in the top flight league.
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The encouraging display from the Ulinzi Stars made two Kenya Police FC players to be yellow carded in the first half.
Marvin Nabwire was booked in the 22nd minute due to a dangerous challenge while Baraka Badi received a yellow card with 10 minutes remaining to the break.
In addition, Police FC head coach Etienne Ndayiragije was forced into an early substitution, replacing the experienced Kenneth Muguna with Tyson Otieno with only 26 minutes gone into the match.
It is not clear whether Muguna, who has made a couple of appearances for the national team Harambee Stars, was pulled out as a result of an injury or under par performance.
Ulinzi Stars returned from the half time with the same energy and were rewarded for their hard work in the 47th minute when Boniface Muchiri found the back of the net.
Shortly after the goal, Police FC responded with three more substitutions. Ndayiragije introduced David Simiyu, David Irishura and Alvin Mang’eni in place of Clinton Kinanga, Francis Kahata and Tyson Otieno.
However, despite the chances, Police FC did very little to trouble the Ulinzi Stars backline that had answers for every question they were asked.
Kenya Police FC’s problems worsened in the 90th minute when Badi received his second yellow card of the match after making a dangerous tackle.
Badi’s red card helped Ulinzi Stars protect their lead and in the end secure three essential points that brought their tally to 31 points and helped them climb to the 12th position in the FKFPL standings.
Meanwhile, Police FC, who have played one more match than their closest title contenders Tusker FC, remained at the top of the FKFPL table with 48 points, with only a single point separating them from the latter.
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