AFC Leopards made the most of their experience to beat Kakamega Homeboyz 2-0 in a pre-season friendly at Bukhungu Stadium on Wednesday, 12 August. Homeboyz, using the match to further assess their new-look squad ahead of the 2026-2027 season, started Ibrahim Joshua in attack alongside Timothy Ndayala and Moses Mudavadi.Download our Mozzart Sport App for more newsAFC Leopards, meanwhile, relied on James Kinyanjui and Tyson Otieno in the attacking areas as they looked to test a Homeboyz side that was content to sit deep and absorb pressure.Leopards created several opportunities in the opening exchanges but were wasteful in front of goal, allowing Homeboyz to remain level despite spending long periods without possession.##NAJAVA_MECA_9889542##Joshua came closest to breaking the deadlock for the hosts around the quarter-hour mark. The forward found himself in a promising position but was checked by Kevin Otiala before he could get his effort away.The two sides went into the break level at 0-0, but Homeboyz made wholesale changes at halftime, replacing their entire starting team with a fresh side featuring several of their other new signings.Leopards opted to keep their team unchanged and the decision immediately paid dividends.Neymar joins Migori Youth as FKFPL debut preparations intensifyThe visitors broke the deadlock five minutes into the second half, with Otieno finding the breakthrough in the 50th minute. The experienced Leopards side then doubled their advantage eight minutes later, with Otieno completing his brace in the 58th minute.The quick double proved difficult for Homeboyz's largely new-look second-half side to absorb, with the hosts struggling to match Leopards' rhythm after falling behind.TACTICAL ANALYSIS: Aboubacar Doumbia and the inverted full-back blueprint at Tusker FC that might rock FKFPLHomeboyz pushed for a response late in the game and nearly pulled one back in the 80th minute when Zinedine Wesonga tested the Leopards defence. However, his effort was safely collected by Leopards' new goalkeeper Tom Ikara, who kept the visitors' clean sheet intact.There would be no late comeback as AFC Leopards held on for a 2-0 victory, handing Homeboyz a useful test as they continue fine-tuning their squad ahead of the new campaign.Kenya’s road to three youth AFCONs takes shapeFor Homeboyz, the friendly offered coach Edward Manoah another opportunity to assess the depth and chemistry of a squad that has undergone significant changes during the transfer window, while Leopards will take confidence from a disciplined display and a decisive second-half performance.
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