Harambee Stars players ratings against Uganda

Harambee Stars registered a 1-1 stalemate against neighbours Uganda to remain winless in Group E of the FIFA Qatar 2022 World Cup qualifiers. Here are the player ratings.

Brian Bwire 2

The Tusker FC goalkeeper was making his second ever start for Harambee Stars after earning his debut in the 1-0 loss to Mali and was impressive for the better part of the game but committed a howler at the depth of the game.

For a young goalkeeper mistakes are bound to happen but unlucky for him it happened at the big stage where all eyes are glued to the screen but hopefully he will treat the goalkeeping nightmare as a learning curve.

Amos Nondi 7

The former Gor Mahia midfielder was slotted in at right-back which raised more than a few eyebrows but he fit into the position like a hand to a glove with his calmness on the ball a joy to watch.

He made up for his lack of aerial presence by intelligent positioning on the right flank as Uganda found it hard to exploit his area.

Joseph Okumu 6

With Uganda resorting to long balls, Okumu was a towering pillar at the heart of Kenya defense as he repelled any aerial ball that was thrown their way.

The KAA Gent defender could have done better with his first half chance from an Abud Omar corner with his tap in straight at Charles Lukwago.

David Cheche Ochieng 6

The Posta Rangers defender has worked his place back into the national team setup with impressive performances at club level and continued his form against Uganda.

He used his experience to devastating effect and his quick thinking could have broken the deadlock in the first half when he pinged a long freekick from his own half that just missed the target.

Abud Omar 6 

The left back was impressive both going forward and defending with his diagonal balls troubling the Uganda backline.

Abud who plies his trade with Greek side AE Larisa was also on corner duties and could have scored from a direct corner in the second half. 

Anthony Wambani 5

The midfielder made a comeback into the national team after making his debut back in 2016 and was decent but was but was not in tandem with the whole team.

He was withdrawn in the 63rd minute for Alwyn Tera but his tender age of 22 gives hope of cementing his midfield position.

Anthony Akumu 6

The burly midfielder did the dirty work of breaking up play in the midfield and topped that up with playing incisive passes. 

The Kaizer Chiefs midfielder also had a telepathic understanding with Muguna and looked fit after concerns having not featured for the South African club regularly. 

Kenneth Muguna 8

The midfielder was arguably the Man of the Match as he capped his wonderful performance with an assist and could have had more were it not for profligacy upfront. 

The former Gor Mahia midfielder is a graceful mover, incisive runner and mesmeric passer of the ball and wowed the Ugandan fans with his performance. 

Samuel Onyango 5

The Gor Mahia midfielder was also a surprise starter in the squad but had a good performance in protecting his wingbacks as he tracked back to ensure Uganda found no spaces in the flanks. 

He could have done better with three chances he got as he found himself almost one on one with the goalkeeper. 

Michael Olunga 9

The Al Duhail forward returned to the scoresheet after two games and remains the only player to have scored for Harambee Stars in the qualifiers. 

Despite being manned by Bevis Mugabi who holds a Guinness World Book of Record for the highest leap, Olunga still scored a header. 

Aballah Hassan 5

The winger had a similar role to Samuel Onyango as he was used more defensively which affected his output in attack.

He however drew a foul that led to the freekick which Kenneth Muguna whipped in to find Michael Olunga’s head. 

Substitutes

Timothy Ouma 4

The Nairobi City Stars midfielder was handed his debut by Engin Firat in the 63rd minute coming on for Samuel Onyango in the 73rd minute.

He could have done better with one of his chances after being brought on but showed glimpses of what he could offer in future.

Alwyn Tera 3

The Armenian-based midfielder came on for Anthony Wambani but struggled to have the needed impetus after being introduced.

Firat noted that he struggled to play in the turf with a chance to play against Rwanda could offer a better assessment of his proven quality.

Musa Mohammed 2

The defender came on in the 92nd minute with the sub planned before Uganda’s equalizer as Firat aimed to sure things up at the back.

He barely touched the ball after coming on but it was good to see him return to the National Team.