Diminutive Andrew Kisilu emerged from the substitutes bench in the second half to give a struggling Nairobi City Stars a crucial first win of the season as they recorded a 1-2 victory against Sofapaka in their round 9 league clash staged at the Main Kasarani Stadium on Saturday afternoon.With the game leveled at 1-1 after Ezekiel Odera cancelled out Rody Manga ‘s strike, Kisilu struck with twelve minutes left on the clock to seal the precious three points that relieved some pressure off the team as they moved out of the relegation places.Full TimeSofapaka 1-2 Nairobi City StarsCity Stars record their first win of the season. A crucial result for the Nicholas Muyoti coached side#FKFPL pic.twitter.com/YWKiPBAFRL— Ochieng’ Stephen (@soo_ochieng) January 14, 2023 First HalfWith the two teams still fighting for control of the game, Rody Manga almost gifted Sofapaka the perfect start just two minutes after kick off as a ball cleared upfront deceived the City Stars defensive line only for it to land perfectly on the striker’s path.However, despite finding himself one on one with goalkeeper Jacob Osano, the Congolese foward fluffed the glorious opportunity as he made a tame shot straight to Osano who collected easily.##NAJAVA_MECA_6945112##Eighteen minutes later though, the foward atoned for his earlier miss when he converted a penalty awarded to Batoto ba Mungu when Ezekiel Odera was adjudged to have handled the ball when clearing a Sofapaka corner.Pegged back by the goal, City Stars upped the ante as they looked to find their way back in the match.FKF Cup makes comeback after one and a half year absenceIt only took six minutes for their attempts to be rewarded as they also benefited from a penalty awarded to them when David Nshirimana handled an attempted cross into the area by Samuel Kapen.From handling the ball in one box, Odera stepped up in the other box and sent Kevin Omondi the wrong way to restore parity in the match.Shortly after, Manga almost celebrated notching his second goal of the game but despite having the beating of everyone, the foward’s header from Brian Wepo corner just crashed off the crossbar much to the relief of City Stars.FIFA invited to adjudicate on Trans-Nzoia Falcons sexual malfeasance stormDuring that frantic period, Oliver Maloba should also have given his side a first time lead on the half hour mark after dribbling through three defenders in the Sofapaka box but poor decision making frustrated City Stars as the diminutive winger made a weak shot to the keeper’s near post that was easily saved instead of looking for the other corner.The player had another two glorious chances to put City Stars ahead but his decision making in the final third once again proved to be the missing link, the two teams getting to the break levelled at 1-1.In the second half, both teams traded a pair of very good opportunities but lack of a clinical edge in front of goal ensured the game remained level.However when it mattered most, Muyoti’s decision to bring on Andrew Kisilu proved to be a masterstroke as the player positioned himself in the right place to give his team a potential winning goal when he scored on the 78th minute.Super sub Andrew Kisilu leads the entire team into celebrating with head coach Nicholas Muyoti after he scores a crucial 2nd goal that could earn the team their first win of the season.The team only have 2 points from the opening 8 games#FKFPL pic.twitter.com/IbWvwut1n7— Ochieng’ Stephen (@soo_ochieng) January 14, 2023 With their five match unbeaten streak on the line, Sofapaka threw bodies foward in search of an equalizer but a resolute City Stars stood firm to record their first win of the season in their ninth game as they moved out of the relegation places.Starting XISofapaka – Kevin Omondi (GK), Ambrose Sifuna, Hillary Achesa, David Nshiriman, Elvis Ronack, Samuel Olwande, Brian Wepo, Roy Okal, Alex Imbusia, Sunday Ikekhai, Rody MangaNairobi City Stars – Jacob Osano, Calvins Masawe, Herit Mungai, Kennedy Onyango , Rodney Kola, Clifford Otieno, Mohammed Bajaber, Anthony Kimani, Ezekiel Odera, Oliver Maloba, Samuel Kapen
