Harambee Stars head coach Benni McCarthy has explained why he continues to trust Ben Stanley Omondi after the midfielder made an immediate impact off the bench in Kenya’s 1-1 draw against Eritrea.Kenya were struggling to find a way through a compact Eritrean defense at Nyayo National Stadium on Saturday, 26 September, when the technical bench turned to its substitutes for a spark.Omondi came on and provided exactly that, producing a moment of quality in the closing stages that earned Kenya a point in their opening 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier.##NAJAVA_MECA_9984468##The midfielder picked up the ball in the attacking third before keeping his composure under pressure and looking across the box for the better option.He then delivered a well-weighted pass into the path of Ryan Ogam, who finished to level the contest.The assist was particularly important for Ogam, who had earlier missed several chances before finally finding the net three minutes from time.Speaking to the press after the match, McCarthy was pleased with the contribution from his substitutes and used the performance to explain his continued faith in the midfielder, who has faced criticism over his inclusion in the national team.“The substitutes today were very impactful. And I'm very happy to see it. I'm very happy for Ben Stanley because he's a player who gets criticised quite a lot,” McCarthy said.“And he's a player that I always get pointed fingers at for having him in the squad. But I know exactly what the boy is capable of. He's an exceptional talent. And when given the opportunity, when you believe in players like that, they just become bigger in stature than they are.”McCarthy backs Harambee Stars goalkeeper amid Gor Mahia criticismThe decisive moment came when the substitute found himself in a promising position with Eritrea’s defence closing in.Rather than rush his decision or send the ball into the box blindly, he took a moment to assess his options before picking out Ogam.That composure was one of the qualities that impressed the coach, who felt the pass gave the striker the simplest possible opportunity to make amends for his earlier misses.“And today he showed, you know, the quality, the composure. Getting there, he could have just easily pumped the ball up. But he lifted his head up, and he looked to see who was in a good position. And then he laid across,” the South African tactician explained.“And Ryan got a nice, easy let-off after all the big chances that he missed. So, yeah, he has to thank Ben Stanley for putting it on the silver platter for him.”David Ouma: No player guaranteed a place at Mathare UnitedThe late equaliser spared Kenya a disappointing start to their qualifying campaign and offered further evidence of the impact the substitutes can have when games become stretched in the closing stages.