Harambee Stars captain reveals two key reasons why Kenya lost to Estonia
.jpeg)
Reading Time: 2min | Sat. 28.03.26. | 20:34
In post-match penalties, both teams missed one of their first five kicks, and in sudden death, Richard Odada went for the Panenka, which he skied
Harambee Stars stand-in captain Aboud Omar has opened up on why Kenya suffered a post-match penalties defeat to lowly ranked Estonia in the FIFA Series on Friday, 27 March.
Download our Mozzart Sport app for more news
The two nations locked horns at the Amahoro Stadium in the ongoing FIFA Series in Rwanda, where the European nation clinched victory via post-match penalties.
.jpg)
Estonia opened the scoring in the 21st minute through Tamel Tammick before Austria-based striker Ryan Ogam drew Kenya level in the 51st minute to ensure the match ended in a 1-1 draw.
In post-match penalties, both teams missed one of their first five kicks, and in sudden death, Richard Odada went for the Panenka, which he skied.
Speaking after the match, Omar, who led the team in the absence of Michael Olunga and Joseph Okumu, who are nursing injuries, revealed what went wrong for Harambee Stars.
“We struggled a little bit in the first half to analyse our opponents and how they played. We managed that at half-time, had a good second half, and managed to score.
Unfortunately, we did not convert the other chances that could have won us the match,” said Omar.
Omar, who also captained the team during the 2024 African Nations Championship (CHAN), also attributed Harambee Stars' struggles to the limited chemistry in the team.
“We had some new players and blending was a bit difficult as we are not all aware of how we play, but again the main problem was failing to realise how they played in the first half, and once we did that, we came out strong in the second half,” he added.
Next up for Harambee Stars is a clash against Grenada on Monday, 30 March from 1700 hrs. Grenada suffered a 4-0 defeat to hosts Rwanda in their opening match and, like Kenya, will be seeking a win before the international break comes to a conclusion.
For Kenya, head coach Benni McCarthy is expected to rotate his squad and give playing time to some of the unused players from the previous game, as well as the players being integrated into the team, like Wrexham midfielder Zak Vyner.