Shabana FC began their SportPesa League campaign with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over 10-man Posta Rangers at Wang’uru Stadium in Kirinyaga on Saturday evening.
Abdul Hafiz scored the decisive goal to hand the Glamour Boys maximum points after Posta Rangers captain Bernard Ondiek was sent off inside the opening 10 minutes for denying Derrick Otanga an obvious goal-scoring opportunity.
The early dismissal forced Posta coach Zedekiah ‘Zico’ Otieno to reorganise his defence, bringing on John Ouma in the 14th minute at the expense of Jackson Macharia.
Shabana, coached by Egyptian tactician Ahmed Fathy, capitalised on their numerical advantage but struggled to break down a resilient Rangers defence in the first half.
Brian Michira came close to opening the scoring after setting up Otanga, only for Faustine Odhiambo to produce a crucial last-ditch block.
Posta also threatened before the break, with Mark Shaban’s header narrowly missing the target from Brian Ouma’s free-kick.
Shabana increased the pressure after the restart, with Michira wasting another opportunity before Hafiz finally broke the deadlock, calmly finishing Brian Bett’s pass.
The hosts pushed for a second goal, while Rangers searched for an equaliser, but Shabana held firm to secure a winning start to their league campaign.
The match also marked a milestone for Fathy, who became the first Egyptian coach to manage in the SportPesa League and the first foreign coach to lead Shabana in top-flight football.
