AFRICA CUP OF NATIONS QUALIFIER | Oliech gives the Stars a glimmer of hope

Dennis Oliech scored a wonder goal 2 minutes into injury time to restore Kenya’s slim chances of qualifying for the Africa Cup of nations. The stars  went into the match knowing that only a win would ensure they remain in the race for the 2012 tournament.  The stars dominated early possession but the Western African side-Guinea Bissau, who beat them in the first leg by a solitary goal, defended well to deny the stars an early goal.

Coach Zedekiah Otieno made a double attacking substitution bringing in the exciting striker Stephen Waruru and AFC Leopards forward Mike Barasa. The substitution made an immediate impact as Barasa netted in the opener in the 55th minute to send the home fans into a frenzy. The stars continued to dominate the match and looked set for a slim victory until a defensive mistake allowed the visitors to restore parity within nine minutes of normal time left. The goal silenced the home fans, some leaving the stadium in disappointment.  Auxere striker, Dennis Oliech, however, had other ideas! He salvaged the home side by delivering a screamer following  poor clearance by the visitors from a corner kick, sending the home fans into wild cheers. httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGHZu0lbTiY

Despite the result, Kenya’s chances of qualification remain slim. The only chance they have of qualifying is hoping Uganda loses to Angola by a huge margin and hope Guinea beats Angola. Statistically,  it is  possible for the stars to progress. This means beating Uganda on their home-soil  by more than 6 goals,  to top the group on goal difference.

References
Kenya 2-1 Guinea Bissau: Denise Oliech’s last gasp screamer saves Harambee Stars Goal.com September 3, 2011

Kenya must thrash Guinea, Uganda then wait for ‘Lady luck’ Kenya Premier League August 30, 2011

ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE | Man United beat Man City 3 – 2 [Video]

Nani’s 94th minute goal settled a mouthwatering Community Shield as Manchester United came back from two goals down to win the encounter by 3 goals to 2. The win sends United to their 19th Community Shield win; matching their Barclays Premier League record tally.

City had gone ahead at the end of the first half, with goals form Lescott, and a 25 yard shot from Dzeko easily beating United’s keeper, De Gea. It appeared quite unfortunate for United to go down by two goals having completely outplayed their City rivals. Ferguson’s response was to make three changes, bringing on new signing, Phil Jones, and Jonny Evans to replace Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic at the back, and introducing Tom Cleverley into his midfield. Smalling reduced the deficit from close range when Young’s free-kick narrowly evaded Lescott. Six minutes later, came the equalizer, with Rooney, Nani and Cleverley opening City up with numbing series of short passes before Nani beat Joe Hart with a clever chip.  The match looked certain for penalties, when Nani kept his cool in a one-on-one situation to beat Hart for the second time right in the last minute. United were by far the better side, taking the game to their opponents and in the end they were the worthy winners.

With young player already impressing, the manager is set to have a headache in choosing his starting eleven. With Scholes’ role still up for grabs; Cleverly proved he is ready to take up the position by being a key figure in United’s come back.

References:
Manchester City 2 Manchester United 3: Nani stars as champions’ comeback stuns rivals in Wembley showdown Man City 2 – 3
Man City 2 – 3 Man Utd