– Sunday 3rd Dec, 2023 at Sudi Stadium, Nzoia, Bungoma County.
– A section of Sofapaka FC players had abscond training sessions due to unpaid dues dating back to 14 months.
– Only 12 players travel to Nzoia Sugar FC for their KPL match, with just one substitution being that of Jacob Panoam and one goalkeeper, Simon Masaka.
– 3 of those twelve players are understood to be goalkeepers.
– At 3.04PM, the match kicks off, with Nzoia FC in full house and squad.
– 19′: Darias Musanga scored for Sofapaka FC after two other clean chances wasted. Nzoia Sugar FC 0-1 Sofapaka.
HT: Nzoia Sugar FC 0-1 Sofapaka.
– 59′: Nzoia Sugar levels with a brilliant goal to make it 1-1.
– 61′: Sofapaka scores another goal after a terrific counter attack. Nzoia 1-2 Sofapaka.
– 72′: a Sofapaka player is injured and stretched of the pitch. Means Sofapaka utilise their only sub, bringing on Jacob Panoam.
– 74′: Nzoia FC deplete all their subs.
81′: Nzoia FC custodian Benson Mangala is shown a straight red card after handling the ball outside his restricted box, means they have no sub.
– Captain Elisha Wekesa sacrifices self into the goal posts and his first assignment is to prevent the impending free kick from the calm Sofapaka.
– 84′: Fiston Abdoul loops the weak but calculated free kick into the far post over the wall beyond the make-shift goalkeeper’s reach. Nzoia Sugar FC 1-3 Sofapaka.
At this time, the home side, Nzoia FC have no sub, same way the visitors Sofapaka don’t have a sub as well, despite coming with just one on the bench.
– 90+4: FULL TIME: NZOIA SUGAR FC 1-2 Twelve-man Sofapaka.
– At the end of the final whistle, Sofapaka, who had come into this match while roasting self within the relegation zone, frog-jumps their opponents above the danger zone with 11 points, leaving their hosts with just 9 points unsafe at the bottom.
How do you describe football madness without using this match as a case study?