Harambee Stars striker frustrated by team's blunt attack in loss to Equatorial Guinea
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Reading Time: 3min | Sat. 15.11.25. | 11:13
Despite creating the better chances, Benni McCarthy's side ended up losing thanks to a first-half penalty from Miranda
Harambee Stars striker Jonah Ayunga has partially blamed Kenya’s blunt attack for its 1-0 loss against Equatorial Guinea in an international friendly played in Turkey on Friday, 14 November.
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The 28-year-old, who plies his trade at Scottish side St. Mirren, thought the team played as per Benni McCarthy’s game plan defensively, but failed to make use of opportunities upfront as they went down to the Nzalang Nacional in a behind-closed-doors encounter at Emirhan Sports Stadium.
Ayunga, playing in his first Harambee Stars match since March, was one of those guilty of spurning goal-scoring chances, a prospect that left many back at home feeling the absence of star striker and skipper Michael Olunga.
The bulky forward, on two first-half occasions, missed the target when in promising positions to score, and was flagged for offside when he finally looped over Jesús Lázaro Owono.
Speaking after the defeat, which was settled by a Jose Miranda penalty in the first half, it was no surprise that those misses were still lingering in Ayunga’s mind.
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“Frustrated with the result, obviously losing 1-0,” he said. “I think as a team defensively we were quite good. They [Equatorial Guinea] had a couple shots, but other than that, the only real chance they had was obviously the penalty.
For us, I think especially in the first half, we needed to make sure that we took the chances.”
The narrative of a laboring Stars attack was laid bare early on as William Lenkupae shot wide from close-range after only seven minutes, before debutant Kevin Otiende sliced his left-footed effort wide despite being clear on goal.
Boniface Muchiri, after a nice exchange of passes with striker Ryan Ogam shortly after the hour-mark, hesitated on taking a shot, and when he eventually did, saw it blocked.
Despite carving lesser opportunities in the second half, Stars still had a chance to get something out of the game late on, only for Austine Odhiambo to blaze over with the goal gaping.
“We got good opportunities, maybe the last pass, or the last finish was just not right,” Ayunga, who felt Harambee Stars created "a lot of chances,” said.
“We had a good game plan to sit deep, and when we recovered the ball, transition quickly,” he added. “We did that probably more in the first half, and in the second half, they had a one-goal lead so they dropped slightly.
I think the game plan in the first half worked, it is just down to us as forwards and midfielders to take the chances.”
They will hope to do so when they come up against imperious Senegal in their final friendly on Tuesday, 18 November.
