Sofapaka hammer hapless Rangers as Thika United are held at home

By Fred Maingi
Coach Stewart Hall got his first win in a league match ever since he took charge of Sofapaka after his charges trounced bottom placed Rangers FC 2-0 at the Nairobi city stadium on Sunday afternoon..
 Osborne Monday was the hero of the day breaking the deadlock in the 28^th minute by scoring straight from a corner kick. Monday curled in the ball which parachuted to hit the goal post before bouncing into the net.
 Skipper James Situma then widened the lead in injury time nodding in a Robert Binja well taken corner kick .
 The win hoisted the 2009 league champions to a fourth slot on the log with 44 points, six behind third placed AFC Leopards while at the same time condemning Rangers to the dustbins as relegation threats inches close to reality.
 The Batoto Ba Mungu were however wasteful in the first half failing to convert a glut of chances that came their way.
 Anthony Kimani had a good chance to put the ball into the net at the half hour mark but his goal bound volley was headed off the line by Rangers midfielder Tony Onyango.
 Sofapaka continued to show their dominance with Humphrey Mieno pulling the strings in midfield. Mieno made a good move to set  Kimani in the 35^th minute but he blasted his shot wide.
 Rangers had limited chances with Sofapaka’s custodian Duncan Ochieng having a quiet afternoon. The only real chance for the league’s dark horses came in the 35^th minute through Paul Odhiambo whose long range rasping shot went off target.
A late surge by the James Nandwa could not deliver the goodies needed even as Odhiambo’s late attempt in a goal mouth melee went to waste.
 Elsewhere at the Thika Municipal stadium, visiting Western Stima shared the spoils with Thika United after forcing a barren draw.
Both sides had far and wide chances in a match that action was packed in middle field but neither side could shake the net.