On Sunday may 13, 2018 will go down in history as one of the biggest sporting days in the recent past.
The stage was set for a monumental match between Kenya Premier League champions Gor Mahia and English Championship side Hull City, a match that was played at the Moi Kasarani Sports Centre.
The huge crowd that turned up to watch the match was another show of the passion that Kenyans have and the love for the game.
More than 60,000 fans filled the newly-refurbished stadium, and the home team did not disappoint as it was the better side in the tie.
The last time Kasarani saw anything close to Sunday was on January 12, 1997, when Harambee Stars hosted the mighty Super Eagles in a 1998 FIFA World Cup qualifier.
Perhaps the most interesting thing to note is the fact that Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards fans, who are the biggest rival fans in the country came together to support the home team.
Apart from the two sets of fans, Kenyans, in general, united on the day as they rallied behind Gor.
“It was special. My group of player and staff will remember this forever,” Hull head coach, Nijel Adkins, brilliantly summed later Sunday when they were hosted to a dinner by leading bookmakers, SportPesa, who organised the match.
“The unifying power of sport was there for all to see. Everyone knows that Kenyans are good in athletics and they can run fast but we wanted to prove that we are good in football as well.
“When we set out to play our part in helping to showcase our talent we never expected we would witness anything like this and we can only do bigger things next time,” SportPesa CEO, Captain Ronald Karauri, remarked.