• FOOTBALL

• Frank Rotich 1 day ago

Mara Sugar strike late to hold Nairobi United

Mara Sugar showed great resilience to snatch a late 1-1 draw against Nairobi United in an entertaining Kenyan Premier League clash at Kasarani Annex on Wednesday.

The visitors left it late but made it count, with substitute Alex Imbusia rising high in the 88th minute to head home a crucial equaliser and deny Nairobi United what looked like a vital win in their push for a top-half finish.

Nairobi United had dominated large spells of the game, especially in the opening minutes, as they pushed forward with intent.

Michael Karamor came close early on after being set up by Enock Machaka, but his effort went wide. Karamor was again involved moments later, failing to convert from a low cross delivered by Duncan Omalla.

Despite the early pressure, Mara Sugar gradually grew into the contest and began to threaten. David Omondi nearly gave them the lead in the 21st minute, but Nairobi goalkeeper Jairo Benard made a crucial one-on-one save to keep the scores level.

The match remained lively, with both sides creating chances before halftime, but neither could break the deadlock as they went into the break goalless.

After the restart, the tempo remained high, with both teams searching for the opener. Mara Sugar threatened through Timothy Ndyalala, whose long-range effort was comfortably handled, before Nairobi responded with Kevin Wangaya testing the visitors’ defence.

The breakthrough finally came in the 66th minute when Wangaya finished calmly after a well-worked move involving Karamor, giving Nairobi United a deserved lead.

However, Mara Sugar refused to back down and kept pushing forward in search of an equaliser. Their persistence paid off in the 88th minute when Imbusia connected perfectly with a cross from Ndyalala to head home and rescue a point.

The late goal ensured Mara Sugar walked away with a valuable result, moving to 31 points in 11th place, while Nairobi United, now on 35 points in 10th, were left frustrated after letting victory slip in the closing moments.