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Batoto ba Mungu will meet the winner between Kenya Police and Ulinzi Stars in the last eight.
Sofapaka edged Darajani Gogo 2-1 in an FKF Cup Round of 16 match played at the Police Sacco Stadium in Nairobi on Saturday afternoon.
Malisau Mutheki fired the first shot in anger, as former Gor Mahia midfielder Nicholas Omondi forced a smart save from Simon Masaka after doing well to keep the ball alive inside the box.
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As the first half progressed, Gogo continued to acquit themselves well, proving more than equal to whatever the Batoto ba Mungu were throwing at them.
Sofapaka’s first real chance in front of goal came in the seventh minute, and it was only a clearing header from Stanley Omondi that kept them from opening the scoring.
Batoto ba Mungu's efforts were finally rewarded in the 13th minute when Sunday Ikhekai slotted in a Ben Stanely’s cross to make it 1-0.
It was up to the visitors to find a response, but they were struggling to find a way to break down the Sofapaka defence, while at the other end, Simon Masaka continued to have his hands full in goal.
Joshua Otieno had a chance shortly afterwards to restore parity, but his shot was also intercepted by a defender, and the follow-up effort from Brian Wafula was saved by the goalkeeper.
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It should have been 2-0 to Sofapaka in the 25th minute, but Gogo goalkeeper Emmanuel Orwa pulled off a magnificent save.
Rashid Moyo’s effort which was destined for the top corner was kept out by Simon Masaka who parried the ball back into play.
Sofapaka were forced to make a change in the 36th minute when Sebastien Sunday was stretchered out and his place was taken by Emmanuel Otieno.
On the other end, poor finishing was shown in the closing stages of the first stanza after Demarere Sibo was left one-on-one with the goalkeeper in the box but failed again to find the back of the net in the 40th minute.
The score was 1-0 to Sofapaka following a first-half which was dominated by the 2014 cup champions.
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It took only three minutes for Gogo to find an equalizer after the restart and it was Moyo, who hit the back of the net from a penalty.
Sofapaka threatened on counter-attacks after the goal and kept the Hawks quiet in their defensive third.
Congolese forward Rody Manga restored Sofapaka’s lead at the hour mark with a wonderful bicycle kick to make it 2-1.
Gogo dominated possession and came very close to finding an equalizer in the 84th minute when Brian Wafula directed a smart header towards goal but Masaka produced a timely save.
Victory saw Sofapaka advance to the quarter-finals and they will now turn their attention to their Football Kenya Federation Premier League clash against KCB which is set to be played on Saturday 8 March.
How they lined-up:
Sofapaka: Simon Masaka, Simon Ambuku, Nixon Omondi, David Nshirimanna, Stephan Okala, Sunday Ikhekia, Roy Okal, Alex Imbusia, Stanley Omondi, Evans Maliachi, Rody Manga
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