LILONGWE, Malawi, Jun 11 – Harambee Stars put up a tactically disciplined performance Tuesday evening, holding Ivory Coast to a barren draw at the Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe on match day four of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
Stars became the first team in Group F to pick a point off the African champions, who had been on a run of three straight wins without conceding a goal.
The Kenyan boys had some very good chances to score and potentially win the game, but couldn’t land the ball in the net while the Ivorians themselves could have won it with five minutes to go, but substitute Oumar Diakite hit the crossbar.
Kenya remains third in the group on five points while the Ivorians move to 10 on top.
Golden chances missed
Stars will rue three very key chances in the game, two late in the second half that would have otherwise turned the game on its head.
Late in the first half, Timothy Ouma had a chance that he should have converted first time. He picked up the ball on the left, curled away from his marker but instead of taking a shot on goal decided to turn again, allowing the defender to close him down.
In the 72nd minute, he even had a better chance. Off a counter attack, skipper Michael Olunga wheeled away on the left, lobbed the ball to Ouma’s path.
The latter controlled but took a heavy second touch with the keeper at his mercy.
Olunga picked up the rebound, but saw his stinging shot blocked on the line.
Minutes later, Olunga himself had a good chance, again running behind the defense but saw his poked effort stick between the keeper’s legs.
Coach Engin Firat had stuck to the team that started against Burundi in midweek, but only made one change, Alphonce Omija coming in for his debut and starting at right back.
Omija impresses as right back
The change meant Rooney Onyango pushed more upfield, but the primary intention was to build a good defensive block on the right to minimize the effect of Brighton’s fleet footed winger Simon Adingra.
It wasn’t a game of many chances especially in the first half. Stars shot on target came off an Abud Omar freekick that dipped over the wall but didn’t have enough power to beat the keeper.
Ivory Coast midfielder Seko Fofana had threatened twice from range, his first effort dipping just a few seconds late and flying over the bar. His second chance was off a shot at the edge of the box after picking up a poorly cleared ball, but the low effort went wide.
Skipper Olunga was a heavily marked man throughout the game but he did manage a shot at goal when he linked up with Teddy Akumu, but he didn’t quite catch the shot well and it rolled wide.
Ivory Coast try to pounce in second half
At the stroke of halftime, keeper Patrick Matasi was called to work when he stretched well to parry away a freekick from Jeremy Boga from 20 yards out.
In the second half, the Ivorians pressed more offensively, trying to break a resolute Kenyan backline. Just seven minutes in, Adingra’s quick feet on the left found some space and from a tight angle cut back for Boga, whose rasping shot was blocked by Omija.
After Kenya missed the two golden chances, they were almost punished when substitute Diakite picked up a ball from another of Adingra’s cutbacks, but his effort came rattling off the bar.
Kenya will now look into the next window in March with optimism, hoping they can build on from the confidence picked from the match to try battle for a win.
