Harambee Stars and Yanga midfielder Duke Abuya has identified the final third as an area Kenya must improve before facing Guinea in their second Group D 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier on Thursday, 1 October.Download our Mozzart Sport app for more newsAbuya started and played the entire match as Kenya opened their campaign with a 1-1 draw against Eritrea at Nyayo National Stadium on Saturday, 26 September.The Red Sea Camels matched Kenya for long periods and took the lead in the 34th minute before Ryan Ogam struck three minutes from time to rescue a point for the hosts.##NAJAVA_MECA_9985322##Speaking to the media after the match, the former Kariobangi Sharks midfielder felt Kenya produced a decent display despite having only one full training session before the encounter.He pointed to the team’s struggles in front of goal as an area that needs attention before the next assignment.“Concerning the midfield battle today, considering we just had one training session, I really think we did better, but we were unlucky in the final third. It is something that we will work on, and I think coming into the next match we can score a lot of goals,” Abuya told reporters at Nyayo Stadium.Harambee Stars coach explains continued trust in midfielder despite backlashKenya’s attack, led by Ogam, Micah Obiero, and Job Ochieng, created several openings against an Eritrean side that spent long periods defending deep.Eritrea goalkeeper Yonathan Sultan stood between Kenya and a more comfortable result, making several important saves to keep his side in the contest.Ogam was a constant threat and finished the match with nine attempts. He came close as early as the ninth minute when a defender reacted quickly to prevent him from connecting with Rooney Onyango’s throw-in.McCarthy backs Harambee Stars goalkeeper amid Gor Mahia criticismA minute later, Sultan denied the striker from his left foot before making further saves from the same side in the 24th minute and just before half-time.The forward continued to search for the breakthrough after the interval and finally got his reward in the 87th minute when he latched onto a Ben Stanley Omondi pass before tapping the ball home.Ogam could have found the net earlier after getting into promising positions, but his eventual equaliser ensured Kenya avoided defeat on home soil.Ochieng was also among Kenya’s most dangerous players, particularly in the first half as Eritrea sat deep and allowed the hosts to dominate possession.The Real Sociedad forward combined well with Obiero and Omar and repeatedly looked to break through the Eritrean defense.David Ouma: No player guaranteed a place at Mathare UnitedHis dangerous delivery in the sixth minute narrowly missed finding a teammate inside the box, while Sultan was again called into action to deny him shortly after the restart.Kenya created enough opportunities to take all three points but lacked the finishing touch required to make their pressure count.Away from the missed chances, Abuya thanked the supporters who turned up in large numbers and admitted the players were disappointed not to reward them with victory.“I would like to thank the fans for the big turnout. It was a massive push for us, but unfortunately we did not manage to get the three points. It is a point from where we can go on,” he said.“It was unlucky for us, but we have let down the fans and we have let down the coach in one way or the other. We can start from here and see where we are going.”##NAJAVA_MECA_9984468##Kenya will now shift focus to Guinea, who also began their campaign with a defeat after losing 2-1 to South Africa in Johannesburg on Saturday.The match in Conakry will give Harambee Stars an opportunity to collect their first win of the qualifying campaign and address the shortcomings that cost them victory against Eritrea.
4
previous post