Nzoia Sugar FC moved further towards safety after condemning Mathare United to a 3-0 defeat at the Kasarani Annex Grounds on Saturday afternoon.Heading to the match, both teams were in dire need of three points. Mathare needed to down the Millers in order to close on them in the log and Nzoia needed it in order to widen the gap between them and the Slum Boys who are in the dangerzone.It was supposed to be a closely fought match between two sides that are battling the drop and the end of the ninety minutes, the team that had shown purpose was rewarded with the three points.United got to a worst possible start when they shot themselves on the foot in the 8th minute. A defensive mixup from Mathare defenders allowed Nzoia captain Kevin Juma to poke home the opener in a scrappy fashion.Mathare took charge of the clash after the early setback as they went all out in search of a leveler, they were however kept at bay by resolute defending from the Millers whose devastating speed on the break posed constant danger on Mathare.Against the run of play, another defensive error in the 32nd minute allowed Nzoia to score a second of the match through Boniface Kweyu and just before the interval, Levis Barasa made it 3-0 to compound what was a sorry first half for the 2008 champions.HT: Mathare United 0 – 3 Nzoia Sugar #MathareVsNzoia— Mathare United FC (@MathareUtd) March 5, 2022 After the interval, Mathare made a midfield change in a bid to solidify that department that had been dominated by the visitors. Skipper Chris Oduor was brought in for Alphonse Ndonye.The hosts took charge of the clash dominating the midfield and wide areas but they could not get anywhere near Nzoia’s rearguard as the Millers defended their advantage in numbers.Young Mathare defender eager to emulate legend Edgar “Fighter” OchiengFelicien Okanda continued to cause the Slum Boys problems down the left flank with his pace and great deliveries which Nzoia failed to make use of in the second stanza. The hosts were reduced to shooting from distance, Martin Nderitu had two good attempts on Nzoia goal.In the end, Nzoia managed to bag three precious points and in the process opened an eight-point gap between them and Mathare. Next for the Millers is a home match against Bidco United while Mathare will take on Kariobangi Sharks with both matches set to be played on Wednesday.
