, Kenya, Jan 18 – Defending champions Falling Waters put up a sizzling performance, living up to their former name as ‘Barcelona Queens’, thrashing Nyeri’s Karima Queens 12-0 at the Nanyuki Stadium on Saturday morning to qualify for the final of the Central Region Chapa Dimba Na Safaricom Championship.
Just like the pint-sized Lionel Messi, Falling Waters’ Jane Njeri was the star of the show scoring a sensational quadruple with skipper Miriam Lutomia, Eunice Ariviza and Naomi Nanjala scoring twice each while Margaret Wangui and Esther Wanjiru hit one each.
The holders were in no mood to let their title off their grasp easy and they showed from the opening minute, restricting Karima to their own half. After Miriam Lutuma and her sister Ariviza both hit the woodwork, the holders broke the deadlock after 19 minutes.
Ariviza broke the deadlock with a brilliant effort from inside the box, controlling the ball beautifully with her chest before volleying into the net past a forest of defenders inside the area.
The sizzling Njeri then added the lead for the holders, striking a quickfire brace in the 28th and 30th minutes.
She scored her first with a sumptuous goal, lifting the ball over two defenders before shooting low past the keeper. Two minutes later, she made it 3-0 and two for herself when she ran behind the defense from a long ball to place the ball beyond the keeper.
Falling Waters were simply unstoppable as they almost turned the tie into a training session, passing the ball with ease and even affording to swing it back all the way to their keeper Eunice Alele who was reduced to a mere spectator.
They extended the lead in the 37th minute when Nanjala skipped past a defender before shooting into the bottom right corner.
Two minutes later, the five-star first half performance was complete when Wanjiru fired a first time volley after the keeper’s spill off an Ariviza cross landed kindly on her path.
It turned from bad to worse for Karima in the second half as they had to change their keeper Mercy Wangechi who picked up an injury at the close of the first half. Without a second choice keeper, they had to make do with an infield player going into goal.
Even before she could map out her new area, the new keeper was already picking the ball from her own net with Njeri scoring her fourth just 41 seconds into the second half.
Skipper Lutomia then made it 7-0 with a brilliant freekick from range and Njeri then made it eight with a sensational shot from the edge of the area.
The waters continued to heavily fall on Karima as they collected the ball inside their own net for the ninth time in the 58th minute, skipper Lutomia once again scoring from almost 40 yards out after citing the keeper off her line.
In the 64th minute, Nanjala completed her brace with a cheeky dink over the keeper before substitute Wangui scored the 11th with a simple tap in after the keeper spilled a shot from Njeri.
Ariviza then added the final nail on Karima’s coffin at the stroke of full time to hand the holders a massive confidence boosting victory.
