There is still nothing to separate the current two-horse race in the battle for the SportPesa League title as round 18 comes to a close.
Gor Mahia and their eternal rivals AFC Leopards remain tied with 36 points, with the former leading the standings due to a better goal difference.
Gor are looking to win a record-extending 22nd league title, while Leopards have not won the domestic title since 1998. A staggering 28 years since they were last crowned champions.
Gor Mahia assistant coach Bismark Kobi-Mensah was left lamenting his side’s defensive frailties despite staging yet another dramatic comeback to defeat Bidco United 2–1 on Saturday at the Kasarani Stadium.
Bidco, who hosted this SportPesa League fixture, broke the deadlock through a well-taken header by Brian Mboya in the first half before Ebenezer Assifuah then came off the bench to score the equalizer.
K’Ogalo sealed the victory deep into stoppage time, with Paul Ochouga netting the winner to secure three crucial points.
Leopards on the other hand did well to end their ten-match winless run against Sofapaka. Kayci Odhiambo’s goal proved the difference in a slim 1-0 win at the Kasarani Stadium.
The crucial win lifted them back to joint top of the title race on 36 points alongside arch-rivals Gor. Leopards have won 10 of the 18 league games they have played so far.
In third place is Shabana FC, who were held to a dramatic 3-3 draw by APS Bomet, leaving them with 28 points, eight behind the league leaders.
Bomet were losing 3-1 by the time they were reduced to 10 men in the 78th minute of the electrifying fixture, but still managed to claw their way back into the match.
Philip Wasai’s 80th minute strike and Lawrence Kibet’s effort two minutes later earned Bomet a vital point, lifting them out of the relegation zone for the first time this season.
Elsewhere, Murang’a Seal continued their dreamy run in the SportPesa League with a crucial 2-1 away win against 10-man Ulinzi Stars on Sunday.
Their fifth win in six matches is the best league run of any team in the top flight, lifting them into sixth place with 27 points. Just a point off the top three.
Paul Okoth gifted Ulinzi an early lead in the 10th minute but Murang’a top scorer Joe Waithira leveled matters from the spot in the 34th. The in-form midfielder then got the winner with virtually the last kick of the game.
Murang’a have now lost once in their last 13 games and continue their sparkling form since former Kenyan international Osborne Monday took charge.
Champions Kenya Police FC also snapped a four-match winless run with a slim 1-0 victory away at Mara Sugar on Saturday afternoon. Yves Koutiama’s 68th minute goal proving to be the difference.
The victory lifts Police into fourth place with 28 points. One more than Kakamega Homeboyz, who were one of the two teams not in action over the weekend.
At the opposite end of the log, Kariobangi Sharks battled to a barren draw away at Bandari. Despite the point, they remain rooted to the bottom with 14 points.
The dockers are unbeaten in six matches since Bernard Mwalala returned for his second stint in charge of the club. They now have 24 points and round up the top 10 places.
Tusker FC snapped a two-game losing streak to bounce back with an impressive 2-1 away win at KCB on Sunday afternoon. Chris Erambo and Eric Kapaito were both on target for the brewers.
The 2022 champions now occupy seventh place with 27 points, while KCB are two points behind them in eighth. The bankers have only managed one win in their last five games.
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Betting lessons and trends
Goals
With 19 goals scored across all matches in the just concluded round 18 of matches, the average remains the same. One less goal was scored in the last match day, with 17 in the one before.
This continues to show the average number of goals tends to remain the same, despite there being one less game played this weekend.
Similar to the past two game weeks, only four games had over 2.5 goals scored in the match. Gor, Murang’a and Bomet matches in particular have had a consistency in more than two goals scored in the game.
Road wins
The last round of matches had just one away win from all nine games played over the weekend. The recently concluded match day shows a notable rise, with five teams winning their games on the road.
The away wins were notably registered by teams in the top six of the SportPesa League standings.
Record champions Gor, Leopards, Police, Murang’a and Tusker all fought hard to register vital wins away from home.
Top teams consistency
Being in the second half of the competitive league, most top teams have shaken off any concerns and began showing exemplary runs of form.
Gor (11) and Leopards (10) have the most wins this far into the campaign. Murang’a have now won seven matches from the 18 they have played, with six of them coming in their last seven games.
We have seen a number of upsets so far this season but they have become more rare as we gear up for the business end of the season.
