Ambani Blames Shock Loss to Mara Sugar on Two Factors As 14-Game Unbeaten Run Ends

AFC Leopards’ unbeaten run came to a crushing end on Saturday after a late collapse saw them lose 2-0 to Mara Sugar in an FKF Premier League encounter at the Awendo Green Stadium.

The defeat not only ended Leopards’ impressive 14-match unbeaten streak but also denied them the chance to move top of the standings, at least temporarily, ahead of Kakamega Homeboyz’s fixture on Sunday.

Mara Sugar, who had drawn their last three matches, were resilient throughout the afternoon before punishing Ingwe’s wastefulness with two late goals from Dennis Cheruiyot, in the 88th and stoppage time.

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Despite enjoying long spells of possession, Leopards failed to capitalize on numerous opportunities, leaving head coach Fred Ambani visibly frustrated after the final whistle.

Speaking after the match, Ambani attributed the rare defeat to two main factors — the poor condition of the pitch and a depleted squad hit by injuries.

“It is what it is. We have to recover quickly and then focus on the next game,” Ambani said. “This ground was way too dilapidated for us to express ourselves. My team is also depleted through injuries, particularly in the defence.”

The Leopards boss revealed that the lack of depth forced him into tactical adjustments that disrupted his original plan.

“I have some players that are ailing, so we had to change two players, which affected our plan,” he explained. “Fortunately, no one got injured today, but it really limited what we could do tactically.”

Despite the setback, Ambani struck a composed tone, suggesting that the defeat could serve as a timely wake-up call for his side.

“We got found out, but it’s not a bad situation because at times that works for us. It just was not our day — we were unlucky.”

Leopards created several clear chances but failed to convert. Kelly Madada fired a long-range effort over the bar in the 27th minute before setting up Elias Mugane, whose attempt went wide. Mugane later missed another opportunity just before halftime.

The visitors’ best spell came in the second half, with James Kinyanjui’s corner in the 78th minute finding Emmanuel Lwangu, whose header missed the target by inches. Substitute Victor Omune also went close moments later, sending his header agonizingly wide.

Those missed chances proved costly, as Mara Sugar’s Cheruiyot struck twice in the dying minutes to seal an unlikely victory for the home side — their second win of the season, which lifted them to seventh place on 10 points from seven matches.

AFC Leopards remain third on the FKF Premier League table, two points behind second-placed Gor Mahia and leaders Kakamega Homeboyz, who still have a game in hand.