Nyundo FC Edge Out Simba Apparel to Ascend to Quarter-Finals

Mbungu Harrison

Email, thecoastnewspaper@gmail.com

Nyundo FC booked their place in the Sisi ni Dola Cup quarter-finals in style, brushing aside Simba Apparel 3-0 indominant Round of 16 tie at Mombasa Sports Club.

It was a statement performance from the Coast side, who turned up the tempo in the second half to end Apparel’s cup run with goals from Swale Juma, Joash Emanuel Ndale and Joshi Dela.

Nyundo made the breakthrough on 27 minutes when Swale Juma latched onto a loose ball and fired home. That solitary strike was enough to take them into the break 1-0 up.

The floodgates opened after the restart. Nyundo came out with more purpose and their pressure told on 60 minutes as Joash Emanuel Ndale doubled the lead with a composed finish.

With Apparel chasing the game and leaving gaps at the back, Joshi Dela made it 3-0 in the 81st minute to seal a convincing win.

Dela was later named Man of the Match, while goalkeeper Francis Katana kept a clean sheet to cap a solid team display.

Nyundo head coach Swaleh Abdalla said the journey so far has been built on patience and hard work.

“The journey to the quarter-finals has not been easy. In the last two matches we struggled, winning by a one-goal margin. So we went back and worked on our scoring prowess and it has worked perfectly for us,” Abdalla said.

He said his mission is to lift the trophy.

“Our striker came with only one job to score and he did exactly that our mission is to go all the way and lift the trophy,”He said.

Simba Apparel assistant coach Raphael Omondi rued defensive lapses.

“This is our second time meeting our opponents and it has not been easy. We were punished because of defensive mistakes after the defenders lost concentration. That cost us,” Omondi said.

The second edition of the five-week Sisi ni Dola Cup continues to unearth talent from across the Coast region, with teams from Mombasa, Kwale, Kilifi, Tana River and Lamu taking part.