Nairobi United came from behind to force a 1-1 draw against NEC FC at Nyayo Stadium and seal a place in the second preliminary round against Tunisia’s ES Sahel.

Nairobi United technical director Salim Ali has praised his players for their resilience and tactical discipline after they secured a place in the second preliminary round of the CAF Confederation Cup at the expense of Ugandan side NEC.

The newly promoted Kenyan Premier League side held NEC to a 1-1 draw at Nyayo Stadium over the weekend, advancing on the away goals rule after a 3-3 aggregate stalemate, having drawn 2-2 away in Kampala in the first leg.

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Speaking after the match, Ali, who was stepping in for head coach Nicholas Muyoti,  admitted that his side struggled in the first half before turning the game around with key adjustments, bringing on Michael Karamoh and Shami Kibwana on for Enock Machaka and Frank Ouya..

“It is a wonderful job by the players. It was one-sided to be fair in the first half but then they scored us, and it had to take for us to make changes in the second half to bounce back,” Muyoti said.

“It was a good second half for us.”

The equaliser came through Duncan Omala in the 65th minute after Nairobi United reorganised in midfield, with the introduction of Shami Mwinyi for Enock Machaka in particular, integral  and pushed more bodies forward. The tactical changes gave the Naiboys better control and allowed them to keep NEC under sustained pressure.

Ali hailed the achievement of his squad, highlighting the significance of the win for a side only recently promoted to the Kenyan top flight.

“It is a good thing to get to the next stage. For a newly promoted side to make it this far, it is incredible,” he added.

The coach also pointed out that match sharpness could be decisive going forward, noting that NEC had the advantage of being in mid-season form.

United will now be making their FKF Premier League bow against Mara Sugar, a game that will give them much-needed fitness before they resume continental action.

“We are starting the league next week. We will be match fit. This is our second game and for our opponents, they were taking part in their ninth game of the season.

“ We hope having that kind of match fitness will help us when we face our next opponents.”

With the result, Nairobi United set up a tough second preliminary round tie against Étoile Sportive du Sahel (ES Sahel) of Tunisia, who beat Sudan’s Al Ahli Wad Madani 3-0 on Thursday to progress. Kenyan defender Alphonce Omija starred for the Tunisian giants in that clash.

The two sides will now face off for a coveted place in the group stage of the 2025/26 CAF Confederation Cup.