Mombasa United squeeze win against Luanda Villa

The only goal of the match came in the 30th minute, courtesy of a stunning 25-yard free kick from Nehemiah Onchiri, which left Luanda Villa goalkeeper Joseph Ogenda with no chance.

Luanda Villa began the match brightly and nearly took the lead in the 24th minute when Derick Otieno unleashed a powerful shot from 20 yards out. However, Mombasa United goalkeeper Kevin Tila produced a fine save to deny him.

Moments later, Mombasa United capitalized on a set piece. Onchiri stepped up and curled in a beautifully taken free kick to break the deadlock.

Despite the scorching sun, Luanda Villa pressed for an equalizer before halftime but couldn’t break through Mombasa’s defense, heading into the break trailing by a goal.

At the start of the second half, Mombasa United made a tactical change, with midfielder Abdulrahman Abdalla replacing Abdalla Mdeka. Almost immediately, Jackson Watee had a golden opportunity to double the lead, finding himself one-on-one with the Villa keeper inside the six-yard box, but he dragged his shot just wide of the post.

In the 65th minute, Luanda Villa made a triple substitution, introducing Benedict Moraya, Samuel Indonyi, and Moses Mwangi in place of Barack Owino, Dylan Wakake, and Wycliffe Jaoke in an effort to chase the equalizer.

Ten minutes later, Moraya nearly made an impact, picking up a rebound just outside the box, but his shot sailed over the crossbar.

In the dying moments of the match, Mombasa United missed another clear chance. Answar Shamuni was set up by striker Fidel Omondi, but his effort was stopped by Ogenda to keep Luanda Villa in the game.

After the match, Mombasa United head coach Gilbert Selebwa expressed satisfaction with the result but admitted his side could have scored more.

“It was a tough match. Luanda came with intensity and made things difficult for us. We should have scored more goals — we lacked composure in front of goal. At this level, you have to take your chances,” he said.

On the other hand, Luanda Villa head coach Leonard Saleh accepted the defeat but remained optimistic.

“We’ve accepted the result. It’s our second away loss, but this is a learning curve for us. I believe we’ll bounce back and return to winning ways,” he noted.