2015 KPL Top 8 Cup explained

KPL Top 8 Cup
Year:2015
Num Teams:8
Champions:Gor Mahia
Runner-Up:Sony Sugar
Matches:9
Goals:33
Top Goal Scorer:Meddie Kagere
(4 goals)[1]
Prevseason:2014
Nextseason:2016
Updated:7 November 2015

The 2015 KPL Top 8 Cup was the fourth edition of the tournament, which kicked off on 26 September and ended on 7 November.[2] It is set to be contested by the top 8 teams of the 2014 season of the Kenyan Premier League: A.F.C. Leopards, Chemelil Sugar, Gor Mahia, Muhoroni Youth, Sofapaka, Tusker and Ulinzi Stars. The winners of the tournament will receive KSh.  in prize money.[3]

Tusker were the defending champions of the competition, having won their second title in the previous season after beating A.F.C. Leopards 2–1 in the final played at the Kinoru Stadium in Meru. However, they were knocked out by eventual champions Gor Mahia in the semi-finals, beating Sony Sugar in the final after extra time to pick up their second title of the competition and their third title of the 2015 season.[4]

Competition format

The tournament follows a single-elimination format for the quarter-finals and the final, where the winning team immediately advances to the next round or wins the tournament, respectively.

For the semi-finals, the tournament adopts a double-elimination format, where a team must win two legs to advance to the final. If both teams are equal on aggregate goals at the end of the two legs, a penalty shoot-out will be conducted to determine who advances to the final. The away goals rule also applies in this round.

2014 Kenyan Premier League standings

See main article: 2014 Kenyan Premier League.

Quarter-finals

The draw for the quarter-finals was held on 4 September.[5] Teams placed first to fourth on the league table were placed in one pot, while teams placed fifth to eighth were placed in another pot.

Fixtures

The matches are scheduled to take place on the weekend of 26–27 September.

Semi-finals

The draw for the semi-finals was held on 27 September, after the final quarter-final between Tusker and A.F.C. Leopards.

First leg

The first leg matches took place on 17 October.

Second leg

The second leg matches took place on 4 November.Sony Sugar win 5–3 on aggregate.Gor Mahia win 4–3 on aggregate.

Final

The final was played on 7 November.[6]

Goalscorers

4 goals
3 goals
2 goals
1 goal
1 own goal

Team statistics

|-|colspan="20"|Eliminated in the semi-finals|-|-|colspan="20"|Eliminated in the quarter-finals|-

Notes and References

  1. Goals scored during penalty shoot-outs are not counted.
  2. Web site: KPL Top 8 draw set to be conducted . 27 August 2015 . Kevin Teya . Futaa.com . 20 September 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150928230629/http://www.futaa.com/football/article/kpl-top-8-draw-set-to-be-conducted . 28 September 2015 . dead .
  3. Web site: KPL Top 8 semis: Gor drawn against Tusker . 27 September 2015 . Chrisphine Magak . Futaa.com . 28 September 2015 .
  4. Web site: KPL Top 8: Gor toils through rocky SoNy to clinch title . 7 November 2015 . Chrisphine Magak . Futaa.com . 12 November 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20151112012318/http://www.futaa.com/football/article/kpl-top-8-gor-toils-through-rocky-sony-to-clinch-title . 2015-11-12 . dead .
  5. Web site: KPL Top 8: AFC Leopards drawn against Tusker . 4 September 2015 . Goal.com . 20 September 2015.
  6. Web site: KPL Top 8: Gor-Sony match officials . 7 November 2015 . Chrisphine Magak . Futaa.com . 7 November 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20151109021550/http://www.futaa.com/football/article/kpl-top-8-gor-sony-match-officials . 9 November 2015 . dead .