Dennis Okoth scores lone goal against Sofapaka
A Dennis Okoth goal on 58 minutes was enough to secure all three points for Mathare United in a Premier League fixture against Sofapaka FC played at the Kasarani Stadium, Annexe on Wednesday.
The young forward netted his second of the season from close range after being set up with an expertly weighted cross from John Nyawir.
John Kamau’s men, who remain in 10th place in a crowded league table, now improve to 18 points, tied with two other teams and five points off the pace.
United were dominant against the Batoto Ba Mungu from the first whistle and saw the majority of the ball as well as producing the game’s best chances.
The first chance at goal, however, came the way of the visitors with eight minutes played, Stephen Bonnie let fly from distance only to see his shot narrowly fly over the bar.
That would be as good as it would get for Sofapaka inside the opening half as the Slumboys went on to produce a barrage of attacks through Musa Masika and Okoth.
With half an hour gone, an unfortunate turn of events saw United forced into a change through injury, with Captain Brian Ochieng reinjuring the same thigh muscle that saw him miss three games at the start of the season. He would be replaced by Steve Kimari, who hit the ground running and made sure ‘Rio’s’ absence wasn’t felt.
The lads picked up from where they had left off after the restart, and this time, their constant pressure finally bore fruit.
A brilliant team move started with Sammy Imbuye, now with the armband, taking a throw-in from his half and finding Ian Omondi, the stopper would in turn play the ball to Francis Kayugi, who laid it on for Nyawir.
The fullback had a neat exchange of passes with Masika on the left flank, before beating his marker and crossing the ball into the path of Okoth, and with only one touch, the forward netted the decider, just like he had done against Shabana on matchday five.
Sofapaka had several chances to pull level late on, but Kevin Ouru made sure of his seventh clean sheet to assume leadership in the race for the Golden Glove.
With a win in their final home game of 2025, the lads now seek to end the year on a high as they travel to Mombasa this coming weekend to take on Bandari before the league breaks for the festivities.