NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 6 – Marvin Nabwire scored with eight minutes left on the clock as AFC Leopards twice came from behind to play out to a 2-2 draw with Bandari FC in an FKF Premier League match at the Nyayo National Stadium on Sunday.
Maxwell Otieno had first struck to cancel out John Mwita’s goal before Abdallah Hassan gave the dockers a 2-1 halftime lead.
However, Leopards fought till the end to scrape for the vital point in what was Anthony Kimani’s second match in charge of Bandari, and a return to a side he formerly coached.
Ingwe head coach Patrick Aussems who was serving the second of his two match suspension watched from the stands, but reiterated that he was proud of the output his boys put in.
“I am proud of them because it is very difficult to come out on the pitch and perform like this with all the problems we have. Sometimes it is hard to find motivation but I am happy for the players,” the Belgian coach said.
Bandari whose last victory in the FKF Premier League was on January 4 against Sofapaka in Wndanyi were off to a good start and were gifted with the opener after 18 minutes when Mwita tapped home from a Kevin Kimani cross.
However, Ingwe were relentless and off a beautiful team effort made it 1-1 through Otieno 10 minutes later. The striker finished off a passing move that started deep in their own half before Collins Shichenje teed him up for a thunderous shot into the far left corner.
But Leopards’ new found rhythm was cut out again when Bandari restored their lead before halftime, Abdallah dribbling his way into the box and shooting past the keeper.
In the second half, it was Ingwe who were hungrier in the final third and were rewarded in the 82nd minute when skipper Nabwire fired them level with a shot from outside the area.
Elsewhere in Kakamega, the resurgent Vihiga Bullets picked up their second win of the season to move out of the basement for the first time since the campaign started after beating fellow new boys FC Talanta 2-1.
The victory which comes off after a run of three consecutive draws sees Bullets scale to 12 points and swap places with Mathare United at the base of the standings.
