A late goal by second-half substitute Darius Msagha earned newly-looking Sofapaka a hard-fought 1-0 win over Kakamega Homeboyz at Kenyatta Stadium in Machakos on Friday.Msagha struck home the match-winner with five minutes remaining on the clock to see Batoto Ba Mungu register their sixth victory of the season and their second under coach Zedekiah ‘Zico’ Otieno.The goal was also enough to lift the former champions from the red zone, placing them three places outside the top half of the log and eight points behind Homeboyz.It proved enough to get Sofapaka their revenge having lost 5-0 to Homeboyz in the first leg played at Bukhungu Stadium in November last year.##NAJAVA_MECA_7812702##Before kick-off, Homeboyz coach Patrick Odhiambo was presented with his July Coach of the Month award by the Sports Journalist Association of Kenya (SJAK) President James Waindi.Odhiambo was belatedly feted for aiding Homeboyz to clinch the Mozzart Bet Cup after beating Tusker 1-0 in the final staged at Kasarani Stadium in July last year.Apart from the personalized trophy he received from the association, Odhiambo was handed a 55-inch television from StarTimes who are commercial partner of SJAK.Japanese Yuto Kusaba promises goals after FKFPL licenseThere were also surprises on the other hand as Zico handed a number of players their club debuts before the first whistle was blasted.Goalkeeper Victor Augo, his namesake Victor Odhiambo, Nelson Bwakali, and Rodgers Kipkemoi were drafted in the starting line with several new faces warming the substitutes bench.Among the new players on the Sofapaka bench was Paul Odhiambo who gained fame in 2022 after attending trials in Belgium with giants KAA Gent.While the Sofapaka fraternity was all smiles following the win, the same couldn’t be said of Homeboyz who have now gone for five matches without a win.Kajuba ready for FKF Premier League return after sabbaticalAbana Abeingo have suffered four defeats and a draw in their last five matches, a run that certainly works against their plan to contest for the league title.Homeboyz haven’t scored a goal in those five matches and will look to inject fresh blood into the team before the mid-season transfer window closes.
