Mathare United struck an 83rd-minute winner to edge Kenya’s CAF Confederation Cup representatives Nairobi United 1–0 in an Sportpesa Premier League clash at Dandora Stadium on Thursday, December 03.
Paul Kinyanjui delivered the decisive blow, pouncing on a poor defensive clearance to slot home from close range and hand Mathare a vital three points; a victory that lifted the Slum Boys out of the relegation zone.
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Nairobi United made their return to league action after four weeks on continental duty. With the CAF Confederation Cup paused for AFCON preparations in Morocco, Naibois resumed domestic commitments as they began tackling their backlog of five outstanding fixtures.
The hosts handed a debut to former Murang’a Seal defender David Wafula at right-back, while Ugandan midfielder Shafic Ssebyala and goalkeeper Ernest Mohammed, both recently back from injury, started on the bench. Mathare kept faith with most of their regular starters, with Herit Mungai the only notable change, slotting in at left-back.
Mathare came out firing and thought they were ahead inside eight minutes, only for David Okoth’s finish to be flagged offside. Before that, Mohammed Kilume had fired narrowly wide, and Okoth later missed another promising opening as Nairobi United soaked up early pressure while posing a threat on the counter.
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Nairobi United’s best first-half chance fell in the 27th minute, but Mathare goalkeeper Kevin Ouru produced a brilliant block to deny Shami Kibwana a certain goal. Okoth then squandered a one-on-one moments later, before Kilume was forced off with injury and replaced by joint league top scorer Eli Asieche.
Asieche nearly made an immediate impact, but his effort before halftime was deflected straight into the arms of keeper Kevin Oduor.
Nairobi United returned from the break with renewed purpose and should have taken the lead ten minutes in when Majaliwa Charo danced into the Mathare box, only to drag his shot inches wide.
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A controversial moment came in the 67th minute when Mathare defender Fidel Otieno appeared to be fouled inside the area, but the referee controversially awarded a free-kick just outside the box, sparking heated protests from the visitors. The set piece came to nothing.
With the match drifting towards a stalemate, Mathare finally broke the deadlock. A miscued clearance dropped perfectly for Kinyanjui in the 83rd minute, and he calmly buried the chance to secure a crucial late win for the Slum Boys.
The victory leaves Mathare in the 8th position with 14 points from 11 games, while Nairobi United is 11th with 12points from 7 games.
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