How AFC Leopards, veteran coach Matano got the last laugh
Kenya’s official emissaries in the Africa Champions League Tusker FC can be equated to the proverbial phoenix, which rose from the ashes of incarceration.
Tusker were on Wednesday afternoon prematurely declared the country’s representatives at next season’s Confederation of Africa Football (CAF) Champions League, following pressure by the continental body on Football Kenya Federation (FKF) to submit Kenya’s representatives in the Africa event by June 30.
Still leading the league, Tusker breakthrough captured the imagination of many as they steamrolled Ulinzi Stars on Wednesday, in Nakuru after having earlier stuttered in two matches at their backyard in Ruaraka, Nairobi.
The Brewers, the third team to have won the highest number of league titles behind Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards, had a false start to the campaign, a 2-1 loss to Leopards on the first day of the season, but Tusker coach Robert Matano took it as a learning experience and went back to the drawing board to assemble a formidable outfit.
Before the decisive match against Ulinzi on Wednesday, Tusker, had again fallen 1-0 to AFC Leopards in a FKF Shield Cup quarter-final before succumbing by the same margin to Post Rangers in the league front.
But perhaps to prove a point that it could have just been a stroke of bad luck, Tusker turned on the heat to beat hosts Ulinzi in Nakuru, some 164 kilometers away from Nairobi, to grab a ticket to participate in the money-spinning Africa competition.
Tusker last participated in the Africa Champions League in 2017 when they were bundled out by AS Port Louis of Mauritius in the preliminary stages. Truth be told.
Tusker were in imperious form against Ulinzi and did the unthinkable by coming from a goal down to beat a team that has been performing well lately in the league.
And true to his character, Matano while congratulating the players for the conquest urged them to continue working hard and especially given the much involving Africa Champions League assignment ahead.
“It has been an agonizing wait for this glory. The players worked hard and you cannot take that fact away from them.
I encouraged them not to lose hope when Ulinzi grabbed the opener and once we equalized and got goal number two, I knew that the match was our to lose,’’ he said.
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Matano added: “The season has not been exceptional for us since we have slipped at some point but we are not short of quality to win the league or challenge any team in Africa. The worst the players can do is to rest on their laurels.’
Matano’s pep talk to his charges during the midweek match at Nakuru ASK ground apparently explains why Tusker came out of its cocoons to turn the affairs on its head, Ulinzi’s Brian Birgen (own goal), Brian Marita, Kevin Okoth and Chris Ochieng’ settling matters.
This was Matano’s second win with Tusker in his third season with the brewers since replacing Ugandan Sam Timbe who was sacked over a spate of indifferent results.
