Intercontinental Cup 2018: Cliffton, Ochieng strike as Kenya rally to defeat New Zealand

Mumbai, June 2: A day after India ran riot against Chinese Taipei in the opener, Kenya registered a perfect start to their Intercontinental Cup 2018 campaign as they rallied to record a 2-1 win over New Zealand at the Mumbai Football Arena on Saturday (June 2).

Though Sarpreet Singh gave the All Whites the lead with a fine strike from outside the box in the 42nd minute, the Kenyans fought back with goals from Miheso Cliffton (45+3) and Ovella Ochieng (68th) to take three points from the game.

And there's the equaliser.. KEN 1-1 NZL #KENvNZL #HeroIntercontinentalCup pic.twitter.com/CtfJxdVksk

— Naveen Peter (@peterspeaking) June 2, 2018

While Taipei side had to deal with the punishing weather conditions here on Friday (June 1), the two teams in action on Saturday had the luxury of playing in a cool and comfortable climate as the rains Gods showed mercy to bless Mumbai with its first spell of monsoon.

Though the teams showed a bit of restraint in the initial exchanges, once it started pouring, they swiftly switched gears and the game picked up pace in no time. Composed play, short passes and rondos made way for the sliding tackles and charging runs as the teams took their search for a lead a notch higher.

The All Whites were the first to have a sniff at the goal midway through the first half. Found at the other end of a floated free-kick, Nikko Boxall chose to test Patrick Matasi in the Kenyan goal. Though he could beat the imposing figure of Matasi, skipper Musa Mayeko did enough to deflect the ball to safety on the goal line with his outstretched leg. But that didn’t stop the Kiwis from charging ahead. Moments later, it was Alex Ruffer’s turn to have a crack at the goal. But the Wellington Phoenix FC striker got his footing wrong and saw his attempt sail over the crossbar.

Starting XI#KENvNZL #WeAreIndia #BackTheBlue #AsianDream pic.twitter.com/BhFxHVzxOH

— Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) June 2, 2018

The Kiwis were the dominant side and it showed with most the game being played in the Kenyan half. But all of that barely mattered as chances went begging for the side. Fritz Schmid’s side couldn’t even captialise on some chaos in the Kenyan box. Of what should have been a regulation save for Matasi, the Kenyan goalkeeper fumbled when attempting to collect a cross into his box. This time it was Sarpreet who was slow to the ball and let Matasi make amends in time.

The Kenyans too ventured ahead in search of a goal in the opening half. But the result could barely come close to altering the tie. The Harmabee Stars had their best opportunity of the half when a well weighed ball from Ochieng set up Erick Otino on a free run down the left. The full-back made the most of it and fired in a shot from a tight angle. But unfortunately for him, the ball brushed the cross bar before heading to safety.

Sarpreet Singh #punjabi lad scored in his first start for the New Zealand national team with a beauty to put New Zealand 1-0 up!
First half ended on 1-1 @Sarpreetsingh88 #IntercontinentalCup #KENvNZL @fni #KENvNZL #Punjab #football #

— gurpreet sidhu (@gurpisidhu) June 2, 2018

That miss, however, proved costly for the Kenyans as the All Whites took the lead soon after. It was Ruffer and Sarpreet who combined for the Kiwis with the latter firing in a curler off his left foot that had Matasi gasping for breath in the Kenyan goal.

The lead barely stood for minutes as the Kenyans came back into the tie in some fine fashion. With Matthew Ridenton bringing down John Makwata just outside his penalty area, the Kenyans were presented with the perfect chance to draw parity. And Cliffton didn’t need another invitation as he made his free-kick dip perfectly to beat Maxime Corombe in the New Zeland goal as the teams headed into the break on level terms.

If in the first half they were made to defend a lot, the second saw the Kenyans charge out of the blocks with purpose. They kept a lot of the ball, stitched together a string of fine passes and created enough chances to go ahead. Ochieng tried from the distance, Pistone Mutamba drew a fine save from Crocombe, but the Kiwis held their ground to deny the Harmabee Stars the lead.

But that didn’t last long as the Kenyans pounced on a mistake by the Kiwi midfield to eke ahead in this closely fought game. Brought on in the second half to infuse some solidity to their midfield, it was an error from Te Atawhai Hudson-Wihongi that led to the second Kenyan goal for the night.

The 23-old-year could barely settle in when Patilah Omoto stole the ball from him and threaded in a defence-splitting pass through the middle. Ochieng, who was lurking by his marker’s shoulders, raced ahead and rolled it past the Kiwi ’keeper who, to his credit, tried to close the angle by charging out and spreading himself wide.

Hosts India take on Kenya in the next tie on Monday (June 4).