Wazito under the tutelage of Fred Ambani claimed their first win of the year after beating Nzoia Sugar 2-1 in Football Kenya Federation Premier League (FKFPL) match staged at the Utalii Grounds on Sunday.Michael Owino and James Kinyanjui gave Wazito a 2-0 lead heading into the half time break but Hassan Beja scored a consolation goal late in the second half.Former Nzoia Sugar skipper Peter Gin who is part of the interim technical bench rued the missed chances they created in the game and admitted they were under pressure coming into the game due to their position on the log.”Today’s game had pressure for both us and Wazito because we had same points but what happened is part of football you can get chances and fail to convert them but if your opponent utilizes them you will lose, what I can say is that we had our chances but we did not take them,” said Gin.Wazito FC interim head coach Fred Ambani was impressed with the shift the boys put out and expected a tough encounter against Nzoia after failing to train for a number of days.”It is not to win after a number of losses, the boys tried their best and gave a huge effort to get the win, I’m happy that the players followed what I told them tactically because I knew Nzoia came knowing that we haven’t trained,” said Ambani.Hire that man and sack him again! https://t.co/dmmPZCdhKk— Kelly Ayodi (@AyodiKelly) January 16, 2022 Wazito came into the clash on a torrid run of form after three straight defeats and came from a 4-2 humbling of Vihiga Bullets who claimed their first win in the Premier League but were handed a new lease of life after Francis Kimanzi was shown the door with Fred Ambani taking over as the interim.Nzoia Sugar were on a run of three consecutive draw that were morale boosting judging from the level of opposition with the stalemates coming against Gor Mahia, AFC Leopards and KCB.With the sound of the whistle still echoing at Utalii Grounds, Wazito took an early lead when Rooney Onyango whipped in a low pass across the face of goal that was tapped into the roof of the net by Michael Owino for his second goal of the season.Chances were at premium for Wazito in the opening 15 minutes of the games but they failed to bury any with Nzoia settling in well after a whirlwind start with Levis Okello heading just wide after a James Kibande cross in the 18th minute.Wazito came close again a minute later when Tyson Otieno delivered a corner that was headed towards goal by Johnstone Omurwa but his effort was cleared off the line by Emmanuel Ekeson.Wazito finally made their dominance count in the 39th minute when Michael Owino laid off a pass to James Kinyanjui on the right hand side of the box with the former Mathare United winger taking a touch before unleashing a thunderbolt into the back of the net.Nzoia could have gone into the half time break with a goal were it not for Bashir Ssekagya’s heroics after the Ugandan import saved Collins Wakhungu’s shot from point blank range after he was put through on goal by Levis Okello as Wazito went into the half time break leading 2-0.Second half The second half was a more balanced affair with Wazito struggling to create chances as they were pinned into their own half for the opening 20 minutes as Nzoia camped in their opposition’s half but lacked composure in the final third.Nzoia came close to pulling one back in the 69th minute when James Kibande floated in a cross that caused a goal-line melee before Wazito finally cleared their lines at the third attempt.Out if nothing Nzoia found a route back into the tie when Levis Adet played a short back pass to Ssekagya that was intercepted by Levis Okello but his effort was blocked by Omurwa but the ball fell kindly for Hassan Beja who tapped into the gaping goal in the 83rd minute.Rooney Onyango was handed a red card in the 90th minute for a second bookable offense when he took time in his throw in but Wazito held on for the 2-1 win to return to winning ways.Elsewhere in Bukhungu, Vihiga Bullets continued with their resurgence as they registered a 1-1 draw against Bandari FC after claiming their first ever win in the top flight when they thumped Wazito FC 2-0.After a barren spell for most of the encounter, Bullets took the lead in the 79th minute from a freekick before Bandari equalized through Yohanna Mwita in the 83rd minute but they could not get the winning goal as both teams settled for a point.Wazito XI: Bashir Ssekagya, Johnstone Omurwa, Rooney Onyango, Levis Adet, Levin Odhiambo, James Kinyanjui (Musa Masika 72′), Fidel Origa, Eli Asieche, Amos Asemebeka (Amos Ekhalie 72′), Tyson Otieno, Michael Owino (Eric Otieno 88′).Unused Subs: Omar Adisa, John Kuol, Boniface Owino, Roland Ashimoto.Nzoia Sugar XI: Benson Mangala, Kevin Maliachi (Mohammed Baraza 72′), Vincent Maiga, Emmanuel Esekon, Kevin Juma, James Kibande (Leonard Kasembeli 72′), Dan Wafula (Hassan Karege 46′), Levis Okello (Ian Simiyu 89′), Joseph Mwangi, Collins Wakhungu (Titus Tapchanga 46′).Unused Subs: Humphrey Katasi, Moses Mwale, Elisha Wekesa.
