Defending champions Sofapaka brushed off title hopefuls and 2008 champions Mathare united 3-1 in a Kenya premier league match played at the Nyayo stadium on Wednesday night. Following the win, sofapaka go top of the table for the first time this season with 39 points same as Ulinzi but with a superior goal difference 19 compared to Ulinzi’s 12. The win puts pressure on Ulinzi, Gor mahia and Tusker to win their weekend matches if they are to keep up with the pace set by sofapaka.

Despite Sofapaka’s dominance in the midfield, Mathare united drew first blood in the 13th minute when Anthony Kimani scored from the spot after Kelvin Oliech was brought down in the box by Edgar Ochieng. The match remained balanced in the rest of first half with both teams displaying high quality and classic football. Sofapaka unsuccessfully tried to move forward using their dominant midfield while Mathare opted lifting the ball over the mid to Kevin kimani and Kevin Opiyo.

The tempo was up in the second half with the Mathare pair of Kimani and Opiyo missing a host of chances. In the 55th minute mathere’s claims for a penalty were dismissed  rekindling memories of the first leg match. It is Osborne Monday who brought Sofapaka back into the match in the 68th minute with a perfectly taken free kick from the edge of the box. Martin musalia had no other option other than collecting the ball from the net. Before the mathare custodian could breath the sofapaka frontline was back this time with John Baraza on the ball on the left side. He looped the ball over the defense to the right finding the unmarked Bob Mugalia who chested it and tapped it into an empty net to get the second for sofapaka in the 70th minute. The last nail in Mathare’s coffin was hit by the league’s top scorer John Baraza in the 80th minute. He received a pass from Captain James situma and despite Mathare players calling for an offside, the flag stayed down. Baraza turned to find only the goal keeper to beat and as would be expected, he calmly slotted in his 12th goal of the season.

The win means that Sofapaka remains unbeaten against Mathare united in the Kenya premier league. Last season as Minnows, sofapaka  embarrassed the then defending champions with identical home and away 1-0 wins on their way to win the title. In the first leg of this season, the two played to a goal less draw in an explosive match that resulted in the suspension and subsequent banning of Coach Robert Kimanzi.

The defending champions next game is on 11th of September against Chemilil sugar at the Nyayo stadium while on the same day Mathare united will try to catch up with the top four when they play western stima at Bukhungu stadium.