Tononoka dethrone Serani to lift Mombasa County football title

The showdown went to the full distance following a 1-1 draw in regular time with Tononoka winning the dramatic post-match lotteries 11-10 to finally get one up on Serani following years of heartbreaks.

It was a horrendous heartbreak for the holders who were aiming to lift one last title to give exiting coach Alex Shikanga a memorable farewell.

Shikanga, who has helped the side to win back to back Mombasa and Coast region titles, had already announced this year’s championship would be his last following changes of school leadership.

The match saw Musa Mohammed give Tononoka the lead early in the second half, only for Serani’s star forward and Bandari FC striker Erisat Orute to equalize late in the game, forcing the final to be decided by the post-match shootouts.

“We created many chances which we didn’t convert, but their goalkeeper was outstanding and made spectacular saves,” said Shikanga.

“Yesterday we won our semis through penalties, but today wasn’t our day.”

The defeat marked the end of Serani’s five-year dominance at the county level.

“For the first time, we’ve failed to win this trophy in five years. Now we fully focus on the regional level.”

Shikanga’s opposite number Juma Kalato was over the moon after finally capturing the elusive title.

“We thank God for making us champions. We’ve hunted for this trophy for a long time, and I’m happy we finally have it,” Kalato said. “In the Mvita Sub County finals, Serani won because we had many injuries. Today, we were at full strength and fully focused.”

Serani booked their place in the final with a narrow 3-2 win on penalties over Moi Forces Academy after a 1-1 draw in the semis.

Tononoka on the other hand cruised to a commanding 4-1 victory over Khadija Secondary to book a date with Serani.

Despite the fierce rivalry, both Tononoka and Serani will represent Mombasa County in the upcoming Coast Region finals set to be held in Lamu in two weeks.

In the girls’ category, Moi Forces Academy Girls edged out Kajembe Secondary 1-0 to clinch the  title.

The match-winning goal came in the 22nd minute courtesy of Rachael Ngaluko.

Coach Humphrey Ingonga of Moi Forces praised his team’s progress.

“Last year, we exited the tournament at the sub-county level. We went back, strategized, and came back stronger,” said Ingonga. “The final was the toughest match we’ve played, which shows we need to raise the level and have more strong girls’ teams to promote growth.”

Defending champions Mwakirunge Secondary were edged out 2-0 in the semi-finals by Kajembe Secondary.