Harambee Stars wrapped up their participation in the Africa Week friendlies with a 2-1 victory over Chad on Monday, June 10, in Morocco.
The two-match series, organized by McSport under the banner Africa Week, provided Kenya a platform for crucial preparation for the upcoming African Nations Championship (CHAN) set for August, which Kenya will co-host alongside Uganda and Tanzania. With the competition exclusively for players plying their trade in local leagues, the friendlies provided valuable exposure for the home-based contingent.
In the first friendly played on June 7, Stars put on a confident performance and were unlucky not to come away with the win. The team created multiple chances, controlled the tempo, and showed glimpses of their evolving identity under McCarthy. That momentum carried into the second match, where the team got its reward.
Emmanuel Osoro — earning his first national team call-up — opened the scoring in the 17th minute, pouncing on a pinpoint cross from Ben Stanley to fire Kenya ahead. Just before halftime, Osoro turned provider. After receiving the ball from Austine Odhiambo, he picked out Sakwa in the box, who calmly slotted home Kenya’s second in the 44th minute. Chad responded with a goal from Mahamat Ali in the 59th minute, but Kenya held firm to see out the win.
With a goal and an assist, Osoro stood out as one of the revelations of the Morocco camp showing hunger, composure, and a sharp eye for goal in his debut outing.
Emmanuel Osoro in action against Chad
For Coach McCarthy, who took over in March, the result ends a three-game wait for his first win after two draws and a loss in his opening matches. More importantly, the team showed improved cohesion, intent, and tactical discipline across the two fixtures.
Head coach Benni McCarthy praised the team’s progress and looked ahead with optimism.
“For the boys that are going to play in CHAN, I hope this experience has shown them the level I expect and the level we can reach when we play our best football.
So there’s a lot of positive things we can look forward to with CHAN coming up and I’m excited. With the time we’ll have to prepare, I believe this team will be ready to go and hopefully we can bless the country with more victories.”
There’s still work to be done, but with signs of chemistry building the Harambee Stars look to be on a steady progress, under a new coach — Kenya’s roadmap to CHAN 2024 is beginning to take shape.