5 Things Learnt From Harambee Stars’ 0-0 Draw Against Chad in Morocco

Five things we learnt from Harambee Stars' 0-0 draw against Chad in a friendly match played in Morocco.

Harambee Stars head coach Benni McCarthy will have to wait a little longer for his first victory at the helm after Kenya were held to a goalless draw by Chad in an international friendly played in Marrakech, Morocco, on Saturday.

Despite creating multiple scoring chances, Kenya failed to convert, with the wastefulness in front of goal proving costly yet again. Here are five key takeaways from the match:

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Harambee Stars’ Fail To Make Chances Pay

For the umpteenth time, Harambee Stars looked incapable of burying the numerous chances they created during the match.

In the first half, they wasted their fair share of chances, before missing even more in the second half.

William Lenkupae in particular, missed two big chances, one in the first half after Boniface Muchiri squared the ball perfectly for him, and then in the second half after Austin Odhiambo released the ball very quickly during one transitional situation. 

Moses Shumah also got a couple of chances to find the back of the net but could not utilise them and in the end, Stars would have to settle for a frustrating 1-1 draw.

Austin Odhiambo’s Urgency to Play it Forward Gives Stars Something Different

Austin Odhiambo came on as a half time sub, and was the side’s creative hub in the 45 minutes he played. 

He carried the ball dynamically, found spaces between the lines and pockets intelligently and was good at spraying progressive passes forward during the game, although his teammates could not find the back of the net.

However, there were moments where his teammates could not match his intensity, with Moses Shumah in particular, trying and failing to link up the play when he dropped deep to receive the ball for one-twos on a couple of occasions.

However, there are promising signs that the side will get better as they continue building up for CHAN.

William Lenkupae’s Late Runs From Deep Can Be Threatening

William Lenkupae was given the nod to start in a central position, starting as the number 10 playing behind Moses Shumah with Brian Musa and Alpha Onyango starting as a double pivot.

You could see McCarthy’s reasoning for the game. While capable of playing on the flanks like he did in his opening two games for the country last March, McCarthy wanted a goal threat from midfield, with Adam Wilson starting as an inverted winger on the right.

He found himself with two goalscoring chances as seen in the screenshots below, the first set up by Boniface Muchiri in the 30th minute  , the Central Coast Mariners star somehow failed to find the target as he watched agonizingly his attempt go wide.

And then the second set up  by Austin Odhiambo in the 59th minute,  who played a good ball over the top before he found himself one on one with the goalkeeper and released a shot that nearly found the back of the net.

He can also carry the ball well given his pace, but could work on passing the ball more accurately. Although he will have been disappointed not to have scored his second goal for the country, his runs today showed he has the capability to find the back of the net from such situations.

Poor Set Piece Execution

Two times today, Kenya found themselves with good goalscoring chances from setpiece situations but fluffed their lines.

The first time was when Abud Omar chose to release the ball quickly to Boniface Muchiri from around 22 yards out in efforts to catch Chad off guard, but the situation died quickly as Muchiri found himself running into traffic.

The second time was when Austin Odhiambo chose to pass the ball to Daniel Sakari for a quick cross into the box, but the Police right back’s cross was wayward.

While the ideas are brilliant, the execution could be better.

Alpha Onyango Grabs His Chance

Alpha Onyango finally made his debut for the national team, and it is fair to say he grabbed his chance.

Although he struggled in the opening 10 minutes with some few missed passes and the tendency to run into spaces occupied by Brian Musa, he grew into the game and in the second half, played as a lone six.

He received the ball well from deep and sprayed progressive passes forward, and off the ball, gave the team a little bit of presence defensively, protecting the defence. 

While the draw will feel like a missed opportunity, there were encouraging signs—particularly with Odhiambo’s creativity, Alpha’s composure, and Lenkupae’s movement.

 McCarthy now has more information about his squad's depth and areas to improve as he continues to mold Kenya into a competitive side ahead of upcoming CHAN qualifiers.