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Bill Clinton scored the lone goal as hosts Kenyatta University (KU) made their intentions known on the opening day of the 10th Federation of African Universities Games (FASU) yesterday.

The second-half strike from the midfielder saw the hosts beat Gamal Abdel Nasser University of Conakry in Guinea for a perfect start in the five-day competition.

Retired Kenyan international fullback, Tobias Ochola, who is coaching the Kenyan outfit says his team has prepared well for the assignment.

“There is definitely some kind of pressure because we are playing at home. Today the boys handled themselves well enough, I credit the defenders and midfielders for a solid performance, I think we can do more with clinical finishes in our next match,” said  Ochola fondly nicknamed ‘Jua Kali’ for his tight marking skills on the pitch.

In the second football match of the day, Kisii University settled for a 2-2 draw with University of Zambia.

Daniel Obungu, Games Tutor Kisii University was acknowledged not was a tough match for his side who were making a debut at the games.

Tough match

“I can say the boys did their best because this was a very tough match. However, we feel there were some decisions by the officials that went against us, like we feel we ought to have been awarded two penalties. All in all, it was a good game. It is the first time our football team is participating in a competition bringing universities from outside the country. We hope we will win our next match because our aim is to finish in the first two places in the pool to qualify for the semis,” said Obungu.

His counterpart Peter Sayila of University of Zambia said: “We were a little bit shaky because we did not know our opponents. It was the first time we were meeting them. The match is an eye opener to us of what to expect at the group stage. We will go back to the drawing board and see on how we can improve on every department.”

Kenya’s First Lady Margaret Kenyatta was the chief guest during the opening ceremony yesterday afternoon where some 50 universities across the continent will be taking part in the games.

The First Lady emphasized on the importance of sports to society, she talked about Kenya’s potential to host major events.

Great heritage

“On behalf of the great people of Kenya, I want to welcome you to our country, and enjoy our great heritage and hospitality. As a nation we have an enduring passion for sports, we are proud to have hosted the Kipkeino Classic, and World under 18 and 20 championships among other events. 

I want to thank the stakeholders and everyone involved in the organization of the event. I’m impressed with the young men and women who want to improve the sport by competing in an exciting event and would like to wish them the very best in various games and track events,” she said.