End of the road for Bandari
Enterprising continental minnows Bandari of Kenya hit a dead end in their quest to reach the CAF Confederation Cup group stage after losing 1-0 in the play-off return leg to Guinean side AC Horoya at Kasarani Stadium yesterday.
Bandari thus crashed out on a 5-2 aggregate to a club that was unlucky to drop down from the Champions League. The script would be different had the hosts utilised the numerous chances they created especially in the first half but William Wadri, Abdallah Hassan, Yema Mwana and Danson Chetambe will rue their misses during the game.
After toiling to score two goals in Conakry last Sunday, it is baffling that Bandari could not muster even one at home given they needed to score twice without a reply to go through.
Perhaps they were let down by inexperience or just the weight of expectations on a group that is playing this far into the competition for the first time in their careers.
Nonetheless, they bossed the game right from kick off and kept African great Aristide Bance silent most of the game. Ugandan midfielder Wadri blasted the ball into the sky when precision and a cool head would have sufficed just one minute into the game. Wadri was picked in the box by Hassan’s delightful pullback cross after fine work on the flanks only for the forward to fluff his lines.
Perhaps Wadri had a credible appeal for a penalty towards the end of the first half and he might have got his wish had he not turned theatric in his fall.
He was gifted another chance in the second period but let off a feeble shot that did not trouble goalkeeper Camara Alseny.
Horoya showed experience and maturity in their game, staying cautious in the first half with very few forays into Bandari’s box then going all out in attack after the break.
Their first chance came in the sixth minute when Bance was put through on goal but a desperately clever intervention by Fred Nkata poked the ball out the striker’s range for Mustapha Oduor to collect.
They kept their attacking profile low until the 65th minute when against the run of play, diminutive Mandela Ocansey broke clear between left-back Fred Nkata and skipper Felly Mulumba to riffle the ball past Mustapha Oduor to give compound Bandari’s woes.
