Harambee Stars head coach Benni McCarthy has defended his players after Kenya were held to a 1-1 draw by Eritrea in their opening 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier at Nyayo National Stadium.Download our Mozzart Sport app for more newsKenya rescued a point on Saturday, 26 September 2026, when Ryan Ogam scored three minutes before full time to cancel out Nahom Girmai’s first-half opener.The result came after a difficult week for the national team, with the players refusing to train over unpaid allowances and other welfare concerns.##NAJAVA_MECA_9985322##Some of the outstanding payments were later settled, according to the Ministry of Sports. The dispute, though, affected the team’s preparations for the match.Harambee Stars only returned to collective training on Friday, 25 September, a day before the Eritrea fixture.Despite the limited preparation, the technical bench was pleased with the effort from the players and felt they showed enough quality to compete.“I have to give the players massive credit. They did not have proper training and fitness that we needed, but they looked sharp. I don’t have a single complaint. I cannot point a finger and say the team lacked this or that,” McCarthy told the press after the match.The lack of preparation was more evident in the final third, where Kenya created several chances but failed to take them.Harambee Stars extend 23-year wait for victory over Eritrea in lacklustre AFCON build-upEritrea punished one of the mistakes at the other end. Manzur Okwaro lost possession, allowing Girmai to find the back of the net and give the visitors a 1-0 lead before the break.Ogam eventually came to Kenya’s rescue when he finished off a late chance to level the score.The striker had earlier missed opportunities, but the coach felt his finishing could have been sharper had the team enjoyed a normal week of training.“They had desire and heart. Lack of preparation showed out there today. We were not as clinical as we wanted to be. Ryan had a couple of chances. In normal circumstances he puts them away,” the South African added.David Ouma: No player guaranteed a place at Mathare UnitedThe former Manchester United coach also urged the players to take heart from their performance, especially given the circumstances in which they prepared for the match.“They should not feel outdone by it because I think they gave everything today and we were by far the better team,” he explained.“We had zero sessions, and we performed like this. If we could have two sessions, we would be better organised and limit the mistakes that we had.”##NAJAVA_MECA_9985338##Kenya will now turn their attention to their second Group D fixture against Guinea in Conakry on Thursday, 1 October 2026.Guinea also started their campaign with a defeat after losing 2-1 to South Africa in Johannesburg on Saturday, setting up another important fixture for Harambee Stars.
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