Tusker Dealt Blow in Title Race Against Gor Mahia and Kenya Police Following Barren Draw Against AFC Leopards

In what turned out to be a very tight affair, AFC Leopards and Tusker FC were forced to share the spoils in in a tense clash that resulted in a 0-0 draw at Kenyatta Stadium, Machakos on Saturday afternoon. 

The match began with both teams showing attacking intent. In the 9th minute, Tusker’s David Odoyo beat his man on the left and cut back a dangerous cross to Lawrence Luvanda, whose effort was smartly kept out by Levis Opiyo’s legs.

 Just seven minutes later, it was AFC's turn to threaten, as Kayci Odhiambo’s shot from the edge of the box forced a stunning one-handed save from Brian Oyande.

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Tusker came closest to breaking the deadlock in the 33rd minute when a long throw from George Kaddu was not properly cleared, allowing Deogratius Ojok to hook a header that struck the crossbar with Oyande well beaten.

 Moments later, Ojok had another opportunity but blazed his left-footed strike over the bar after turning his marker brilliantly. 

On the opposite end, AFC Leopards nearly capitalized on a quick counter, only for Oyande to again come to Tusker’s rescue with a save to deny Cliff Wanyama.

AFC's best spell of the first half came through the right flank, with Ovella Ochieng causing problems. In the 38th minute, he fed Koloti with a clever pass, who dummied past Tusker's backline, but Victor Otieno’s final delivery was punched out for a corner. 

Just before halftime, Koloti attempted an overhead kick from another Ovella cross, but his acrobatic effort went narrowly wide.

The second half saw both sides make several changes. Tusker brought on Naaman  Balecho, John Njuguna, and Luke Namanda, while AFC responded with the introduction of Ronald Sichenje for Kayci Odhiambo. 

However, Tusker were dealt a blow when Njuguna, one of their substitutes, had to come off injured shortly after coming on, forcing another reshuffle as Ian was brought in.

Ian Simiyu almost made an immediate impact in the 73rd minute when he twisted away from his marker and unleashed a curling effort, only to be denied by a spectacular save from Opiyo. 

A few minutes later, AFC squandered a golden chance when Victor Otieno whipped in a dangerous ball, but miscommunication between Koloti and Sichenje saw the opportunity go begging.

In the dying minutes, Tusker thought they had finally found a breakthrough when Ian found the back of the net, only for the assistant referee’s flag to rule him offside.

Despite both teams pushing for a winner, neither could find the finishing touch as the match ended 0-0 — a result that owed much to the resilience and heroics of both goalkeepers.

Both teams will take positives from the match, particularly their defensive solidity, but will feel they could have claimed all three points had they been more clinical in front of goal.

The draw means Tusker remain second on 52 points, having played a game more than Kenya Police, while AFC Leopards are sixth on 41 points.