FOOTBALL: Eight lessons learned from Harambee Stars' defeat to South Sudan

The loss saw South Sudan register their maiden win over Kenya since attaining independence back in 2011

Harambee Stars came down tumbling with a thud after their 2-1 victory over Qatar as they were humiliated 1-0 by South Sudan in a friendly at the Kasarani Stadium.

The loss saw South Sudan register their maiden win over Kenya since attaining independence back in 2011 and to date are still the news nation in the world.

Losing to South Sudan certainly left more questions than answers as Harambee Stars played their first game in Kasarani Stadium for the first time in 901 days, the last being the 1-1 draw against Egypt back in March 2021.

Here are eight lessons learned from the disheartening loss to South Sudan.

Defensive frailties still haunting Harambee

Harambee Stars have just kept one clean sheet in the last 10 games which came against a lowly ranked Pakistan in the Four Nations Tournament back in June.

Even against football dwarfs such as Mauritius, Kenya have failed to register a clean sheet and embarrassingly went on to lose that game against the islanders.

Qualifying for major tournaments like Kenya are eying the 2026 FIFA World Cup are hinged on an impeccable defensive record as was in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers where Harambee only shipped in a single goal against Ghana.

We can wave our dreams of qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup goodbye if we cannot fortify our backline and cut errors in the defensive department.

Creative spark needed

In the recent loss to South Sudan, who are ranked 62 places below Kenya, Harambee Stars enjoyed monopoly in possession but lacked the cutting edge to unlock the sturdy Sudanese defense.

Kenya only had two shots of target to show for their lion’s share in possession while South Sudan scored with their only effort aimed at Byne Omondi’s goal which showed the Bright Stars clinical nature.

With Eric Johana and Johanna Omolo looking past their best, Harambee Stars has struggled to replace these two to aid their creativity in the final third, perhaps it is time to try either of the brothers in Austin Odhiambo or Tyson Otieno in the role.

Lack of wingers continue to hurt Harambee

Masud Juma and Elvis Rupia have struggled in the wide forward role, they simply have found it hard to create chances for Olunga which leaves Kenya hamstrung upfront.

Firat tweaked his tactics slightly in the South Sudan game as he deployed Masud on the left and Rupia was shifted to the right in the hope that they could cut in and shoot but the rejig failed to bear any fruits.

The Turkish head coach has even tried to recall Ayub Timbe back in the team but unfortunately pulled out due to injury during the Qatar game with Abdalla Hassan appearing to be falling out of favour.

Odada continues to impress in Wanyama’s shoes

The silver lining in the horrendous defeat to South Sudan in our own backyard was Richard Odada who looks to have found a new lease of life in Denmark with Aalborg after a disastrous spell with Philadelphia Union.

He scored just before the international break and extended his impressive form to the international break as he bossed the midfield with his ball recoveries and a calm head.

The 22-year-old former Juventus trialist could easily have finished the game with an assist if his captain Michael Olunga was more clinical with his one-on-one with the keeper.

Odada was long touted as the heir to Victor Wanyama’s number six role and is more than impressing in the CF Montreal midfielder’s absence.

Double pivot needs to be broken against low block

It is baffling that the double midfield pivot of Odada and Akumu played almost 85 minutes together despite Harambee Stars trailing from the first minute.

After going ahead, South Sudan did not hide the fact that they were prepared to sit back and defend their lead which meant that we needed more creative legs on the pitch.

Despite not putting a foot wrong in the game, Akumu should have been sacrificed for Timothy Ouma or Clarke Oduor whose versatility can also have him deployed in the number 10 role with Kenneth Muguna finding it challenging to break down the Sudanese defense.

Coming from behind is a rarity for Kenya

Harambee Stars more often than not usually slump after going a goal down and you have to go back to 21 games ago when Harambee Stars last came from behind to win a game in the 2-1 victory over Sudan in December 2019.

You can never rule out mistakes from football as Joseph Okumu erred in the first minute which means that Harambee stars need to build a strong mental fortitude of coming from behind.

Kenya over relying on Olunga

Harambee Stars captain Michael Olunga has had a quiet international break by his own lofty standards, even in the game against Qatar where he provided the crucial winning assist.

In the clash against the former FIFA World Cup hosts, Olunga missed a one-on-one that he would have buried on a different day and struggled to have a meaningful effect on the game before his assist.

Against South Sudan he was starved of service but had two glorious opportunities to salvage something for Kenya in the game with one of them being a sitter.

Harambee need to look for a different goal threat for when Olunga is having an off colour day. Masud has shown flashes of brilliance on this front but is yet to do it consistently.

Hard to gauge Firat’s progress

Engin Firat was appointed back in September 2021 and has so far overseen nine Harambee Stars matches which include five defeats, three wins and a draw.

One may struggle to see whether Kenya has improved while at the helm but he has certainly faced numerous challenges including coming from a FIFA ban and most importantly financial constraints.

Seven months into his second stint as head coach, Firat is yet to find the best starting 11 for Harambee Stars but has judging from his press conferences he has promising plans for the country, the implementation looks to be a challenge mostly due to limited resources.