AFC Leopards rested regulars David Ochieng, defender Soter Kayumba, Paul Were, Whyvonne Isuza, and Abdalla Salim as they allowed the Bankers to complete a league double over them with a 1-0 victory at Kenyatta Stadium in Machakos. Ingwe coach Casa Mbungo has defended his decision to rest key players in a Kenyan Premier League (KPL) fixture against KCB on Wednesday.
“My team selection had nothing to do with the derby, no…not at all,” Mbungo told Goal.
“I only decided to rest my top players because they have played in every match for the last two weeks. Most of them have been involved in ten matches and we felt like a technical bench to rotate the squad and we were not thinking about the derby at all.
“We are disappointed that we lost to KCB, the second defeat against them this season, but in my honest opinion, my players played poorly especially in the first half and despite making an improved effort in the second period, we could not get something out of the fixture.”
While Ingwe lost to KCB, their Sunday opponents Gor Mahia also lost on Wednesday, 1-0 to Nzoia Sugar away in Mumias.
⚽ #MashemejiDerby 🤝
⚽️: AFC Leopards vs Gor Mahia FC
🗓: 19th May 2019
🏟: Kasarani Stadium
⏰: 4:15 pmIn 3 days time, the oldest rivalry in Kenyan football history returns!
Which side will you be supporting?#SportPesaNews pic.twitter.com/QzKxfUkh4Q
— SportPesa News (@SportpesaNews) May 15, 2019
The win by the Sugar Millers postponed Gor Mahia’s coronation as they still require six more points to clinch a third straight KPL title.