Harambee Stars head coach Benni McCarthy has defended midfielder Mansur Okwaro following his costly error in Saturday’s 1-1 draw against Eritrea.Download our Mozzart Sport App for more newsThe France-based utility player was caught in possession on the edge of Kenya’s box after goalkeeper Byrne Omondi had played the ball to him, allowing Eritrea to capitalise and take the lead.The 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier match ended in a 1-1 draw at the Nyayo National Stadium.##NAJAVA_MECA_9991875##The visitors, who had been second best for much of the match, produced a smash-and-grab moment when Nahom Girmai beat Omondi with a low shot into the bottom-left corner.Ryan Ogam rescued a point for Kenya three minutes from time.The match came after a difficult build-up for the Stars, with the players having staged a strike over unpaid allowances.Why Harambee Stars midfielder is not losing sleep over Eritrea drawWhile Okwaro came under criticism for the mistake that led to Eritrea’s goal, McCarthy quickly moved to defend the young midfielder, attributing the error partly to Kenya’s limited preparations.The South African coach praised Okwaro’s overall performance and said the mistake was out of character but resulted from taking an unnecessary risk.“He is very comfortable and has the stature, and as I said, we had had one training session. Of course, we were a little bit slower, but he was fantastic. Normally, it’s unlike Manzur to take a risk the way he did, and he almost got out, but he got intercepted,” he stated.Coach Kimani singles out unsung hero in Emerging Stars' big win over TanzaniaMcCarthy also insisted that the error was the only major blemish in Kenya’s performance and backed Okwaro to retain his place in defensive midfield.“That was the only mistake we made throughout the match, and the goalkeeper couldn’t bail him out. Next time, he will play in the same position again, because I have trust and confidence in him and every player in the team.”Harambee Stars departed Nairobi on Tuesday morning for Conakry, where they will face Guinea on Thursday evening in their second AFCON qualifying match.Guinea also lost their opening qualifier, going down 2-1 to South Africa on Saturday.Duarte questions CAF draw ahead of Guinea, Kenya clash