All set for Red Bull Four 2 Score national finals as qualifiers end

The 16-team line-up for the Red Bull Four 2 Score national finals is complete following conclusion of the closing qualifying round on Saturday.

The final qualifier played at the Burhani Sports Club in Mombasa was won by Bayern Mombasa who edged Halike FC 2-1 in a thrilling final.

Yusuf Ali broke the deadlock to hand Bayern the early lead after taking on 2 Halike players before squeezing the ball between Ali Fauz’s legs and into the net.

The same player, who finished as the tournament’s top goalscorer, almost doubled his side’s advantage only for his shot to cannon off the off the post.

After soaking up the pressure for much of the game, Halike found a shock equalizer through Ali Fauz who guided home a tidy finish after a fine pass from Hafidh Abdillahi.

But Bayern had the final say in the dying moments after Andulkhadir Omar’s long range shot was deflected into the net.

“We look forward to the final and hope we can show the same resilience we did today. The competition is going to be more intense so we must be prepared to step up.

“We have to demand concentration from each other to stay focused until the last minute because everything can change in a second!” Omar said post-match.

Mkunguni FC won the third-place playoff after edging out Serani Sports 3-1.

All the four top teams will proceed to the national event where 12 teams await having books their slots from three prior qualifiers.

The 12 other national finalists are: Smart Legends (first qualifying round winners), Ngara All Stars, Madaraka All Stars, Wild West Youngins, University of Nairobi (UoN) FC (second qualifying round winners), Desai FC, FC Zaga and Mazkbads.

Soccer Masters (third qualifying round winners), Jamhuri Bulls, Taliban and Touch of Class are also in the mix.

The 16 will battle for the honour of being Kenyan champion for the new and innovative 4 vs 4 tournament that challenges players to show their best small-field skills in 10-minute rounds.

The tournament also comes with an exciting set of rules which add to the suspense of the game with goals scored during the first and last minute counting for double.

The national winner will head to the home of German league giants, RB Leipzig, for the World Final later this year where they will face off against 26 other national champions.

The 27 participating countries on four continents are: Kenya, Bahrain, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile, Croatia, Egypt, Finland, Germany, India, Jordan, Kuwait, Maldives, Mauritius, Netherlands, Nigeria, Panama, Romania, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Spain, UAE, USA, UK.