Bandari strike late to salvage a point in battling home draw with KC

Bandari FC were forced to settle for a 1-1 draw against a resilient KCB side in an entertaining Kenya Premier League clash at Mbaraki Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

After a fruitless first half, the deadlock was broken in the 65th minute when Mathius Isogol’s well-delivered corner found Richard Omondi, who rose highest to head past Levis Opiyo to give KCB the lead.

Bandari threw everything forward in search of an equalizer. Five minutes from time, youngster Erisat Orute forced a spectacular save from Munyasa with a powerful strike from the edge of the box.

Deep into stoppage time, the hosts finally found their breakthrough — Abdallah Hassan meeting a John Mark Makwata cross to slot home the dramatic equalizer and salvage a point for the Dockers.

The Dockers started brightly, showing intent from the first whistle. In the fifth minute, Amza Mbarak came close with a long-range effort that flew inches wide, before Geoffrey Ojunga’s header from William Wadri’s cross narrowly missed the target a minute later.

Bandari continued to pile pressure, and in the 37th minute, Said Tsuma found himself one-on-one with KCB goalkeeper Bonphas Munyasa, only to send his 18-yard effort sailing over the bar. The hosts squandered another golden chance on the stroke of halftime when Mbarak failed to tap in a Wadri cross, leaving the sides deadlocked at 0-0 at the break.

KCB, who registered no shot on target in the first half, came out stronger after the restart. Bandari introduced Erisat Orute and Abdallah Hassan for Ojunga and Wadri, boosting their attacking tempo.

 “It has been a trend. We keep missing clear chances and end up paying for it,” lamented Borji. “Inshallah, I’m hoping for better finishing going forward.”

KCB boss Robert Matano, on the other hand, remained upbeat despite the late setback.

“It wasn’t a bad game. We just lost concentration in the last minute and got punished,” said Matano. “We’ve lost several key players, but I believe we’ll come back stronger.”

The result marks Bandari’s fourth draw of the season, leaving head coach Mohamed Borji visibly frustrated after the final whistle.