Harambee Stars rescued a 1-1 draw against Eritrea in their opening 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier, dominating 66% of possession and racking up 29 total shots with 47 touches in the opponent's box.Despite controlling the structural flow of the match, Benni McCarthy’s side fell behind in the 35th minute when Nahom Girmai punished a central build-up error.Kenya’s relentless sustained pressure finally paid off in the 88th minute through a Ryan Ogam close-range equalizer, set up by second-half structural shifts and wing-profile alterations.Download Our MozzartSport App For More NewsMcCarthy organized Kenya in a nominal 4-2-3-1 base structure.Byrne Omondi started in goal behind a back four featuring Ronney Onyango at right-back, captain Abud Omar at left-back, and Haniff Wesonga partnering Frank Odhiambo at center-back. In central midfield, Manzur Okwaro anchored alongside Duke Abuya.Harambee Stars midfielder identifies area of concern ahead of Guinea clashAs possession was established, Abuya operated as a box-to-box midfielder, drifting into advanced channels to grant Timothy Ouma freedom between the lines.Out wide, Real Sociedad youngster Job Ochieng provided direct left-wing width, Micah Obiero started on the right, and Ryan Ogam spearheaded the attack.Hesham Yakan set up Eritrea in a compact 4-2-3-1 that transitioned into a strict 4-4-2 mid-block.Malik Abdulrahman guarded the goal behind Victor Fors at right-back, Jonas Idris at left-back, and central defenders Namrud Embaye and Jamal Ali. The Swedish-based double pivot of Nahom Netabay and Tesfaldet Tekie sat ahead of the back line.Ablelom Teklezgi played as the central attacking midfielder behind striker Ali Suleiman, with Esrom Yohannes and Filimon Gerezgiher occupying the left and right flanks.The central tactical contest centered on central midfield spacing.Out of possession, Kenya maintained a 4-4-2 mid-block, delaying their press until Eritrea’s center-backs attempted lateral passes into wide areas.To counter Kenya's two-man central screen, Eritrean pivot Tekie dropped between the center-backs to form a 3v2 build-up line, while right-back Victor Fors inverted inside. This created a 4v3 central overload against Kenya's midfield earlier on.##NAJAVA_MECA_9985378##Kenya adjusted by advancing their pressing lines into an aggressive 4-2-4 height.MidfieldersOkwaro and Abuya pressed directly onto Netabay and Tekie, trapping Eritrea near their own penalty area.On Kenya's left, Ochieng forced double-coverage from Eritrea's right-back and right center-back, creating space for captain Omar to overlap.Omar recorded 15 passes into the final third and created 4 chances. Despite controlling 63% first-half possession, Kenya struggled to turn territory into clinical finishing. In the ninth minute, Onyango played a deep pass to release Ogam, but his effort was saved. In the 21st minute, Eritrea was forced into an early substitution when central defender Ali suffered an injury.Eritrea broke the deadlock in the 35th minute by exploiting a buildup error.McCarthy backs Harambee Stars goalkeeper amid Gor Mahia criticismReceiving a pass with his back to goal inside his own half, Okwaro was caught under pressure by Eritrea’s forward line. Suleiman intercepted the loose ball and set up Girmai, who finished past Omondi to make it 1-0.Kenya responded by creating a couple of chances before halftime.In the 43rd minute, Ogam headed down a cross from the left into the path of Abuya, whose shot cleared the crossbar.In first-half stoppage time, Micah Obiero beat his marker on the right wing to cross for Ogam, but Malik Abdulrahman saved the initial attempt before Ogam fired the rebound wide.In the 63rd minute, McCarthy executed a tactical reshuffle.He replaced Ouma and Ochieng with Stanley Wilson and Ben Stanley Omondi.Ben Stanley took over on the right flank, pushing Micah Obiero to the left wing.In the 70th minute, Mohamed Bajaber replaced Okwaro. Bajaber went to the left wing, moving Obiero into the central attacking midfield role.🔴 As it happened: Harambee Stars extend wait for victory against Eritrea in lacklustre AFCON build upThese substitutions stretched Eritrea’s low block. Bajaber completed four dribbles and created wide overloads with Omar, while Ben Stanley provided direct 1v1 running on the right.In the 75th minute, Bajaber combined with Ogam, but his powerful strike was saved by Abdulrahman. In the 79th minute, McCarthy brought on Shariff Musa and center-back Amos Wanjala for Obiero and Onyango, shifting Haniff Wesonga to right-back.Shortly after, Duke Abuya broke through one-on-one, but Abdulrahman denied his effort.Kenya's sustained late pressure paid off in the 88th minute.Amos Wanjala played a pass from deep into the right half-space. Ben Stanley collected the ball near the right touchline, beat his defender, and played a low cross into the box for Ogam to tap home from close range.##NAJAVA_MECA_9985363##Kenya’s positional setup created plenty of scoring opportunities, generating five big chances, 29 total shots, and 47 touches inside the opposition box. However, four missed big chances highlight their finishing struggles on the day. Eritrea’s compact defensive structure and several goalkeeper saves kept them competitive despite facing heavy pressure.Ultimately, McCarthy's late wing-profile adjustments helped Harambee Stars bypass Eritrea's low block, to rescue a point in their Group D opener.