Kisasa FC’s second league match of the season kicked off at 11:30 AM on Sunday, May 10th, at St. Mary’s, the official venue of the Diamond Youth Football League since the league’s restart last week. In the second fixture of the day, Kisasa FC took on Skillz FC, fourth and first in the league table respectively after the opening week’s results.
Under the guidance of Coach Brice Bogna and Coach John Thomas ‘JT’ Nyakundi, Kisasa FC fielded a starting eleven of: Moses in goal; Joseph ‘Richie’ Otieno at right-back, Sam and Clifton ‘Obama’ Obama in central defence, Kefa Omondi at left-back; Crispin Kiarie, Brian ‘Bri-o’ King’ori, Geoffrey ‘Geoff’ Odhiambo, and Calvin ‘Calvin’ Rusagara in midfield; Trimendours ‘Tremo’ Musunzaji looking for his first goal from open play, and Taji ‘Taji’ Kariuki returning to the side after missing the season opener.
Skillz FC got proceedings underway, and in the opening minutes pushed possession in the Kisasa half. The boys responded well under pressure, winning their first corner just over two minutes into the game. The chance was taken short, and although Skillz recovered possession quickly and attempted to break on the counter, Kisasa’s defence dealt with it comfortably.
Possession stayed balanced through the opening exchanges, with most of the play moving through the middle of the pitch. Both sides looked to use long balls to catch the other out, but well-timed challenges and offside calls kept things level approaching the ten-minute mark.
The boys showed real quality on the ball. During spells of possession, the passing flowed smoothly, and there were moments where it felt like the breakthrough was close. Down the left wing especially, Taji continually took on his man and linked well with Calvin and Crispin through midfield. Skillz FC, however, remained compact defensively and looked dangerous whenever they broke quickly, forcing Kisasa to stay disciplined in transition.
The first real chance of the half came at 17 minutes. Pressure from Tremo forced a Skillz defender into losing the ball to Brian high up the pitch. Quick passing play followed and Tremo managed to get a shot away. Though the keeper was off his line, Skillz recovered defensively and cleared the danger only as far as midfield, where Taji won it back immediately with a strong tackle and driving run that earned another corner. Again, the attack could not convert from the set piece.
Skillz FC responded with their own dangerous moment at 21 minutes after winning the ball on the left. A quick run down the wing opened space, but the eventual effort drifted wide.
Kisasa continued to push. At 26 minutes, a cross into the box came off a defender and fell kindly to Taji at the edge of the area, but under pressure the shot could not find the target. With both sides balanced and defending well, the first half ended goalless.
The boys showed real quality on the ball, with moments where it felt like the breakthrough was close.
Kisasa FC opened the second half brightly. The boys pressed high in the opening exchanges and played out of tight spaces calmly, despite a stop-start spell caused by a series of fouls. As the game settled again, the intensity quickly lifted, with both sides continuing the search for the opening goal.
Possession stayed fairly even, though Kisasa consistently forced Skillz to hold the ball deeper in their own half. Going forward, however, the final pass into the attacking third continued to evade the forwards despite promising build-up play.
At 47 minutes, Skillz FC won a free kick from the edge of the box that came close, but the keeper reacted well to put the effort over the bar. The resulting corner bounced out to the edge of the area, where another follow-up strike flew wide.
Soon after, a Kisasa foul led to a long restart from the Skillz keeper, but the ball settled kindly for Brian, who threaded an excellent pass through the middle. The run was perfectly timed and onside, and the shot looked destined for goal before the Skillz keeper produced an excellent save.
A series of chances followed as Kisasa sustained positive pressure, eventually winning a free kick at 53 minutes that again could not be converted. Strong link-up play between Taji and Tremo continued to create openings down the left side, while the boys also showed confidence playing out from the back against a relentless Skillz press.
The Breakthrough
The breakthrough finally came on the hour mark. After a corner was recycled back into a crowded box, a quick reaction from a Skillz attacker found the opening goal.
With 18 minutes left to play, everything still remained open. The response from the young Kisasa FC side never dropped. The passes stayed sharp, the attacking runs kept coming, and the energy from the touchline remained high. OT could be heard urging his teammates to keep the tempo up as Kisasa searched for an equaliser.
Substitutions continued to inject life into the side, with rested Taji and Tremo returning in an attacking push from the coaches. Even while chasing the game, the boys stayed disciplined defensively, and a strong midfield structure prevented Skillz from extending their lead.
Across the opening two games, the foundations have looked exciting. The chemistry continues to build.
The match concluded 1-0 in favour of Skillz FC, but there were again encouraging signs from a Kisasa FC side still growing together. Across the opening two games, the foundations have looked exciting, the chemistry continues to build, and the performances suggest this team is moving in the right direction. It is still early days, and as always, football seasons are marathons, not sprints.
Next up, Kisasa FC host KYSA on Sunday, May 17th at the same St. Mary’s venue. Kick-off 10:00 AM.
Lineup
GK: Moses
RB: Joseph ‘Richie’ Otieno · CB: Sam · CB: Clifton ‘Obama’ Obama · LB: Kefa Omondi
CM: Crispin Kiarie · CM: Brian ‘Bri-o’ King’ori · CM: Geoffrey ‘Geoff’ Odhiambo · CM: Calvin ‘Calvin’ Rusagara
ST: Trimendours ‘Tremo’ Musunzaji · ST: Taji ‘Taji’ Kariuki
Subs: Yusuf, Ryan, Lawrence (GK), Oti, Aru.
Stats
Final score: Kisasa FC 0-1 Skillz FC
Venue: St. Mary’s, Nairobi
Kick-off: 11:30
Key moments: Tremo chance from the high press at 17′; Taji effort from the edge of the box at 26′; major save from the Skillz keeper after Brian’s through ball in the second half; Skillz FC scored from a recycled corner on the hour mark.
Key notes: Strong spells of possession; disciplined defensive structure; encouraging link-up play down the left side between Taji and Tremo; positive attacking signs despite the narrow defeat.