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It was supposed to be a party, a homecoming, and a celebration of Mombasa United’s glorious return to the FKF Premier League, but instead, Mbaraki Sports Club in Mombasa County emptied in total, painful silence.
For 87 minutes, hundreds of fans draped in blue and white turned the historic ground into a carnival as drums thundered, Vuvuzelas screamed with the famous Mbaraki roars loud and proud; the Coast was back.
But at times, football is cruel and at the Coast, it was brutally cruel on Saturday.
With just three minutes to the final whistle, Kakamega Homeboyz defender Charles Momanyi pounced, stabbing home a deflected ball after Mombasa’s defence switched off completely and the 0-1 score did them in. Just like that, the party was over.
In an instant, the noise died; hands went to their heads, some fans stood frozen, staring blankly at the pitch, while others trudged silently towards the rusty gates, muttering in disbelief.
Mothers carried sleepy, disappointed children on their shoulders; Boda boda riders outside, who had stopped to listen to the cheers, watched a river of blue walk home, not singing, but sighing.
On the surface, Mombasa dominated, but coach Abdulhamid Moallin’s post-match admission told the real story.
First, the final third betrayal, where Mombasa pressed high and won the ball well, but the last pass was consistently poor, with over-hit crosses, rushed shots and no composure inside the box.
Rashidi Waziri and new boy Mogbademu Adeyemi linked well, but had only one shot on target in the entire 90 minutes.
Second, set-piece indiscipline, where the goal came from a needless foul and two cheap corners conceded in the final quarter, hit the hosts where it hurt most.
The tears at Mbaraki should not turn into panic; that was only match day one, and coach Moallin must fix the final ball urgently, with more work on crossing, combination play and clinical finishing at training, while Adeyemi needs to start and build chemistry faster.
Defensively, they must learn to manage the last 10 minutes in a game, show leadership at the back and avoid cheap fouls around the box.
But the good news is that the fans still believe in their team; despite the disappointment, they clapped the boys off and will be back next weekend, drums and all.
Mombasa United lost the battle, but the season is still a war and at Mbaraki, hope still lives on.
mmohamed@standardmedia.co.ke