NEC stunned by last-minute Nairobi United equaliser in continental opener

CAF Confederation Cup

First Preliminary Round 
First leg
Saturday  
NEC 2 Nairobi Utd 2

Under the gleaming floodlights of the newly refurbished Hamz Stadium Nakivubo, NEC FC’s dream continental debut turned into a night of mixed emotions.

The Bugolobi side making their first-ever appearance in the CAF Confederation Cup, were seconds away from a famous victory when calamity struck, a long hopeful ball from the visitors, a misjudged catch from goalkeeper Benjamin Ochan, and a simple tap-in from Nairobi United’s substitute Kibwama Mwinyi that silenced the stadium.

The scoreboard read 2-2, but it felt like a loss for NEC, who had battled back from a goal down and looked poised to carry a precious home win into next Saturday’s return leg at Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi.

For a team that finished second in the Uganda Premier League last season having pushed Vipers to the last match of the campaign to seal the league title, this was supposed to be a statement performance, a show that NEC are not on the continental stage by mistake.

Instead, the night ended with players slumped on the turf, head coach Hussein Mbalangu staring into the distance, and the fans in stunned silence.

Few expected Nairobi United, a side that only earned promotion to Kenya’s topflight last season to be the ones dictating the pace early on. But in the 28th minute, Enock Machaka pounced on Gideon Odongo’s poor clearance to beat Ochan and give the visitors a shock lead.

The goal rattled NEC, and at halftime, Mbalangu knew he had to act. His initial team selection had raised eyebrows, leaving players with CAF experience like players Paul Mucureezi, Muzamir Mutyaba, and Mustafa Kizza on the bench. “We had our game plan,” Mbalangu later explained.

“We wanted to use the energy of the young players early and then introduce the senior players to finish off the game.”

That plan seemed to work. Kizza, brought on at the restart, delivered a pinpoint free kick in the 78th minute that Cromwell Rwothomio headed home to bring NEC level. Fans erupted in celebrations. And when Mucureezi coolly converted a 90+1 penalty after Nairobi captain John Otieno handled inside the box, the script looked complete: NEC had turned it around.

Then came the moment that will haunt Ochan and NEC for days. A long, harmless-looking ball from midfield sailed toward the goal. Ochan stepped forward to claim it, but misjudged its flight. Mwinyi reacted quickest, slotting into an empty net and sending the small contingent of travelling Nairobi fans into wild celebrations.

“The game was not bad, but we committed silly mistakes,” he lamented after the match. “Look at both goals, they were gifts. The first was a defender’s error, the second a goalkeeper’s mistake. At this level, you get punished.”

It was a frustratingly familiar theme. NEC’s defensive lapses were also exposed in the FUFA Super 8 final last week, where they conceded twice in a 2-0 defeat to SC Villa.

The problem, clearly, has not yet been fixed.

And yet, amid the heartbreak, there was a sense of defiance. “This tie is still open,” insisted Mbalangu. “What Nairobi United did here, we can also do in Kenya. They didn’t put us under much pressure — they just punished our mistakes. We will correct them and come back stronger.”

For Nairobi United, the draw result felt like a win according to their head coach Salim Ali. 

“A 2-2 draw away from home is a great result,” said their coach Salim Ali, praising his players and the travelling fans. “We showed character to fight until the end, and we now have something to build on for the return leg.”

NEC now face the biggest test of their young continental journey. They must score in Nairobi and defend better than they have in recent games. The task is simple but daunting: win or draw with a scoreline better than 2-2 to progress to the next round.