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Kenya battled with ten men in a thrilling Mapinduzi Cup clash and the host now will now face Burkina Faso in the final.
Harambee Stars have been eliminated from the Mapinduzi Cup after suffering a narrow 1-0 defeat to hosts Zanzibar in a fiercely contested match played at Gombani Stadium.
Francis Kimanzi’s charges went into the match sitting second in the four-team group, having collected four points from their first two games thus they only needed a draw against Zanzibar to secure a spot in the final.
On the other hand, Zanzibar entered the match in third place with three points and faced the daunting task of needing a win to overtake Kenya and advance to the final, with group leaders Burkina Faso already sealing their place in the championship decider.
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The game opened up from the early exchanges, as the Harambee Stars forward Moses Shumah had a curling shot in the box saved by goalkeeper Yakoub Suleiman.
At the other end, Feisal Salum also had a big chance for Zanzibar at the near post but scooped his volley over the crossbar.
However, Harambee Stars' charges pinned Zanzibar in their own half after 20 minutes, but they could not create opportunities.
Kenya nearly claimed the lead with a sweeping passing move midway through the first half, which ended with Austine Odhiambo striking a volley narrowly off target from just inside the penalty area.
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Kenya went close again in the 38th minute when Moses Shumah unleashed a powerful shot that narrowly missed the target with Mohammed Bajaber unable to capitalize on the rebound as the chance went begging.
The match was briefly stopped in the 44th minute after a scuffle and shove between players that nearly escalated into a fistfight.
The first half closed with the score still locked at 0-0, while the opening chance of the second stanza saw Zanzibar’s Feisal Salum latch onto a poor clearance from Shumah and shoot on target, only for Faruk Shikalo to make a nervy save with his legs.
Kenya was almost punished by Zanzibar when a sloppy pass gifted the ball straight to Maulid Maabad on the edge of the right-hand side of the box.
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The Zanzibar midfielder drilled a low effort, which Faruk Shikalo did well to keep out with his legs, allowing Kenya to breathe a sigh of relief.
Soon after, Austine Odhiambo fouled Abdallah Kheri Sebo on the edge of the area. Sued Juma stepped up and curled a promising effort over the wall towards the top right corner, but Shikalo was across comfortably to catch.
Kenya shook things up on the hour mark, bringing on Boniface Muchiri for Mohammed Bajaber.
In the 66th minute, Mutinda did well on the right-hand side, skipping inside past two challenges and firing one off with his left foot, but his effort went wide of the right-hand post.
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Kenya were reduced to 10 players after Aboud Omar was shown a straight red card following an altercation with the referee in the 70th minute, leaving the team to finish the match with a man down.
Harambee Stars had their best goal attempt in the 78th minute, with Moses Shumah driving a long-range effort narrowly off target, as Zanzibar became increasingly desperate to find a breakthrough.
Zanzibar nearly snatched a goal at the other end five minutes later, with Sued Juma latching onto a loose ball in the penalty area and driving a low effort on target, but Faruk Shikalo was once again equal to the task.
Ultimately, the hosts grabbed a late winner, with Ali Inzaghi rising highest to head home from a corner, securing their place in the final against Burkina Faso on Monday at the same venue.
Zanzibar, who were also reduced to ten men after one of their defenders was given his marching orders for a dangerous tackle, triumphed in a match extended by 15 minutes.
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How they lined up;
Kenya: Faruk Shikalo, Siraj Mohammed, Ronney Onyango, Alphonse Omija, Sylvester Owino, Michael Mutinda, Chrispine Erambo, Mohammed Bajaber, Austine Odhiambo, Moses Shumah, James Kinyanjui.
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