Star Field preserve unbeaten run in thumping win
22/03/21 Nairobi, Kenya
Two goals from either side of half-time ensured Star field preserved their unbeaten run in a 4-1 thrashing of opponents Sunrise at the Nairobi Gymkhana grounds on Sunday afternoon.
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The early minutes were cagey with both teams sizing up each other but the game came to life mid-way through the first half when Brian Odhiambo had made a brilliant save to deny the visitors from breaking the deadlock.
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Moments later and against the run of play Star field turned the ball over and it was laid for Khalid Ahmed who spotted the keeper off his line and fired over him onto the inside left of the upright to make it 1-0.
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Barely two minutes later and Star field had doubled their lead courtesy of a back pass that the goalkeeper controlled poorly under pressure from Ahmed who robbed him and slotted home into an empty net for his brace and a 2-0 lead.
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Star field could have made it 3-0 from the spot kick awarded after Addis Panoram was brought down inside the area, but Matt Collins kick was brilliantly saved and he blasted the rebound over.
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Star field needlessly gave the ball away in the centre of the park to allow the visitors a route back into the game when they pulled one back before the break.
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Goalkeeper Odhiambo was then called upon to make yet another great save at the stroke of half time to ensure that the home team went into the break with a lead.
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Substitute Fizan Yusuf restored Star field’s two-goal cushion after good work on the left flank by Ahmed resulted in a foul, with the referee having to point to the spot. Yusuf’s spot kick was tame and the keeper parried it back to play where it was controlled brilliantly by Alvin Muriungi who laid it for Yusuf and this time, he made no mistake from two yards out.
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Sunrise defenders did not play to the whistle in the 70th minute and allowed Star field to punish them courtesy of Muriungi who raced forward and beat the keeper to his right complete the rout.
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Coach Paul Oloo’s sending off in the final minutes of the match was inconsequential as his side managed the remainder of the game well and almost snatched a fifth goal two minutes into added time as Ahmed rounded the Sunrise keeper and laid a pass to Panoram who failed to convert from a tight angle.