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Chicago FC ‘A’ (England) and defending champions Astral ladies (Brazil) are the winners of 14th edition of Left Foot Soccer World Cup tournament that was staged at Nairobi’s Railways Club on Sunday.
Chicago edged Tropical Heat (Russia) 1-0 to clinch the men’s trophy while Astral brushed aside SportPesa (Argentina) 2-0 to win the women's title for a fourth consecutive year.
Dairy Joachim tapped in Solomon Aiche’s pinpoint pass at the death to seal the win for Chicago in an end-to-end encounter that left spectators on the edge of their seats.
“We were very hopeful of a win considering that last year we were eliminated at the semi-final stage after thorough preparations. This year we vowed to amend our mistakes with our eyes set on the prize. I'm glad we've met our target,” Chicago coach-cum-captain Steven Odhiambo told Nation Sport after the match.
Earlier, the team held its nerve to beat Tradewin 3-2 in post-match penalties in the first semi-final duel.
Odhiambo’s opposite number Joshua Kitonny blamed the loss on fatigue but promised to bounce back next season.
“We have proved our critics who considered us underdogs wrong. We are very happy with our performance having played against strong teams that have made this competition a routine. Our supporters should expect better results next year,” he said.
Tropical Heat edged out former champions DTB 1-0 in the second semi courtesy of Anderson Mutuku’s goal to book a final ticket.
On the opposite pitch, captain Mary Wanjiku and Rodah Malik scored a goal apiece to ensure tournament favourites Astral continued their dominance in this competition.
Wanjiku was on target in the fifth minute before Malik sealed the win for the Mathare-based team which finished the tournament unbeaten.
“This is an awesome win for us. Our secret to success was commitment in training. Our preparation to defend our title kicks off immediately,” said Wanjiku after the match.
SportPesa captain Triza Akoth admitted that their opponents were a hard nut to crack.
“This was a tough one for us but we promise our opponents a run for their money come next year,” she said.
During the event, Nation Media Group teams (A and B) as well as the ladies team were knocked out in the round of 16.
Despite the results, Nation ladies captain Celestine Olilo said the competition offered valuable lessons ahead of future competitions.
“We are not discouraged by our performance in the competition considering this was our first appearance. We are going back to the drawing board for better results next year,” said Olilo.
A total of 58 teams took part in the event that also attracted five ladies’ teams.
“Since we launched this event 2005 we have witnessed tremendous growth that has created a platform to showcase untapped talent. We intended to make the event even bigger next year,” said Amit Bhasin, the events Operation Director.
The organization also runs children amateur leagues and 75-team corporate leagues in Nairobi and Mombasa.
