Kenya's Emerging Stars secured a 2-1 victory over Ivory Coast in the first leg of their second-round 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers at Nyayo National Stadium on Wednesday, 11 November .Second-half goals from Henry Omollo and Andreas Omondi handed Anthony Kimani's charges a crucial home victory, leaving them needing at least a draw in the return leg in Abidjan to advance to the final qualifying round.Download our Mozzart Sport app for more newsHaving eliminated Tanzania in the opening round with a 5-4 aggregate victory, Kenya entered the contest seeking to establish an advantage against an Ivorian side that had received a bye into the second round.The hosts started brightly, with Kevin Wangaya coming close to breaking the deadlock in the ninth minute following a well-worked move involving Humphrey Aroko and Celta Vigo forward Aldrine Kibet. However, Ivorian goalkeeper Christ Tape reacted quickly to deny the Nairobi United midfielder.Kenya continued to dictate the early exchanges, with Lawrence Okoth and Kibet also threatening, but the visitors gradually settled into the contest and began creating opportunities of their own.McCarthy lists attributes that make Real Sociedad star Job Ochieng lethalCaleb Kramer's intervention was required to keep out a fierce effort from Sunderland forward Jocelin Djiamgone, while Jackson Imbiakha produced an important interception to deny Mamadou Kone as Ivory Coast grew into the game.Both sides traded attacks towards the end of the opening half, with Aroko testing goalkeeper Yvann Birama and Kibet coming close after combining with Brooklyn Kazungu. However, neither side could find the breakthrough as the teams went into the interval level.The second half resumed at an equally competitive pace, with Omondi testing his luck from distance before Robison Kazungu blocked Christ Goore's effort at the other end.Ivory Coast nearly took the lead in the 58th minute when Emmanuel Junior Kakou unleashed a powerful effort from the edge of the box, but his attempt narrowly cleared the crossbar.Kimani responded with a double substitution, introducing Omollo and Glen Kariuki just before the hour mark in search of greater attacking impetus.The changes quickly paid dividends as Kenya broke the deadlock in the 65th minute. A well-delivered ball from Okoth found Omollo, whose individual effort took a deflection off an Ivorian defender before finding the back of the net.##NAJAVA_MECA_10108060##The visitors responded positively, with Oumar Konate narrowly missing the target before Kenya squandered an opportunity to extend their advantage when Okoth failed to capitalise on a promising opening created by Kariuki.Ivory Coast eventually restored parity in the 72nd minute through Konate. Djiamgone delivered a ball into the penalty area, where the unmarked forward produced an acrobatic overhead kick that beat Kramer to make it 1-1.However, Kenya had the final say with seven minutes remaining. Omollo initiated the move by releasing Wangaya, who picked out Omondi. The Enköpings SK midfielder then showcased his individual brilliance, weaving past his markers before calmly slotting home to restore the hosts' advantage.Date set for completion of 1,500-capacity Talanta Stadium train ahead of Bayern vs Ajax friendly [VIDEO]Despite late attempts by the visitors to find another equaliser, Kenya held firm to secure a valuable 2-1 victory. Ivory Coast's task was made more difficult when their captain, Christ Tape, was shown a red card late in the contest, leaving the visitors to finish the match with 10 men.The Emerging Stars will now travel to Abidjan for the return fixture knowing that a draw will be enough to secure their place in the final qualifying round of the 2027 AFCON, scheduled to be hosted in Egypt.