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Here are some of the things we learnt from their historic away win over Seychelles.
On Monday night, Harambee Stars put aside their disappointment of losing 2-1 to Gabon when they brushed aside Seychelles to get their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign back on track.
Stars looked comfortable throughout the game and deservedly won the match, which will have the players leaving the camp in buoyant mood after the disappointment in the opening fixture.
Here are some of the things we learnt from their historic away win over Seychelles.
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00:00 - 21.11.2023
FOOTBALL Michael Olunga shuts his critics as he inspires Harambee Stars to five-goal rout of Seychelles
Harambee Stars captain Michael Olunga scored a quick-fire brace as Kenya recorded their first win in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers following a 5-0 thrashing of Seychelles.
Harambee Stars record biggest ever World Cup qualifying away win
For the first time in their history, Harambee Stars managed to record their biggest ever World Cup qualifying win by obliterating Seychelles 5-0, in a game that was practically a one-sided affair.
This will come as a huge milestone for the nation and will give them much needed confidence to not only win their first competitive fixture in two years, but to also do it very comfortably away from home.
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21:00 - 19.11.2023
STARS ABROAD Why Harambee Stars forward moved between clubs before joining Ronaldo in dollar-inspired Saudi league
The Harambee Stars forward has explained why he became a globe trotter after leaving the Kenya Premier League before finally settling in money-minting Saudi Arabia this year.
Michael Olunga finds scoring touch
After six consecutive games without a goal. Michael Olunga finally ended his goalscoring drought for Kenya when he scored two goals in the opening five minutes of what proved to be a very comfortable affair for the Kenyans.
His first goal was proper centre forward play, collecting the ball from outside the area and then carrying it inside before releasing a left footed shot into the bottom corner of the net.
A good ball lofted in from Kenya’s defence was not dealt with well by the Seychelles backline with the second ball falling to Olunga who fired a shot directly at goalkeeper Carlos Simeon. The custodian parried the ball into the striker’s path and he responded by slotting in the rebound for Kenya’s second.
He should have added a couple more to his collection, but never managed to fully convert his chances, but generally, the two goals will come as a relief for him, and to at least easen the burden off his shoulders.
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18:34 - 20.11.2023
FOOTBALL Gor Mahia's Benson Omala on how he plans to cement Harambee Stars slot
Gor Mahia striker Benson Omala aspires to secure a lasting spot in the Harambee Stars squad.
Masud Juma proving to be a reliable goal-getter
Masoud Juma netted a goal for Harambee Stars for the third game in a row, proving that he is finally starting to become a reliable goal getter for the side.
Since making his debut in 2017, Juma had proven to be an inconsistent player infront of goal, going several games without finding the back of the net despite huffing and puffing.
Now that he has scored three in a row, he will want to keep that momentum going when the international matches resume in March 2024.
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18:09 - 20.11.2023
FKFPL Rooney Onyango reveals sentimental reason behind wearing jersey number 88 at Gor Mahia
The Gor Mahia rising star dons jersey number 88 with a heartfelt story behind it adding depth to his on-field brilliance.
Rooney Onyango keeps getting better and better
Rooney Onyango did not disappoint in his third cap for the Harambee Stars. He managed to score his first for the nation, and also managed to register his first assist for teammate Benson Omala.
He is quickly making the right wing position for the national team his own despite being a right back by trade. If he keeps his momentum going, then it will only be a matter of time before fans, journalists and pundits run out of superlatives to describe the Gor Mahia stalwart.
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05:30 - 20.06.2023
HARAMBEE STARS: Why Richard Odada is an upgrade of Victor Wanyama in Harambee Stars midfield
Odada was named man of the match in Kenya's 1-0 win over Pakistan at the just cooncluded Mauritius four nations series on Wednesday.
Harambee Stars can be dangerous in transitional situations
Kenya is proving that it can be dangerous in transitional situations with fast breaks on the counter attack.
Time and time again, Harambee Stars capitalised on turning over the ball quickly before finishing off Seychelles with quick passing and quick movement.
It is a tool that helped them win the game against Qatar, and should they keep perfecting the art, they could be a handful for their opponents in 2024. To add to that, they actually had some ounce of creativity in Eric Johana, who started in the attacking midfield role.
He looked decent operating the pockets by receiving the ball on the half turn, and had several situations where he tried crackers. Substitute Ayub Timbe also took men on nonchalantly, but his final ball was not crisp enough on the night.
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07:55 - 09.09.2023
FOOTBALL Harambee Stars: Why Firat must stick with Omurwa-Okumu partnership in central defence
The centre-back pairing of Joseph Okumu and Johnstone Omurwa produced many positives in Thursday's win against Qatar and the Stars coach must avoid the temptation of tinkering with it
Dennis Ng’an’ga adds quality competition at center back
Dennis Ng’ang’a will make Engin Firat not bother convincing Brian Mandela to revert his decision to take a sabbatical from the national team with his performance not just against Seychelles, but Gabon as well.
Ng’ang’a’s left foot made it easy for Stars to open up the pitch on the left side and find Masoud Juma, and the two left backs, Erick ‘Marcelo’ Ouma and substitute Abud Omar accurately.
He also carried the ball out from the back well and was a calming influence with his ability to organise his teammates.
He will serve as healthy competition for Joseph Okumu once the Reims defender is back from injury.
Kenya must learn to be more prolific
Although Harambee Stars beat Seychelles 5-0, you have a feeling that they should have beaten them by a bigger margin considering the amount of chances they missed.
Olunga himself had three one on one situations he should have done better with, as with Juma and Johana, who also had a couple of more chances to score.
Against higher quality opposition ahead, they will not get as many chances as they did against Seychelles, and must learn to be more ruthless.
It’s a Gor Mahia affair for Stars
Many who have a keen interest in Kenyan football will have noticed that 20-time FKF Premier League champions Gor Mahia’s fingerprints are well all over the Harambee Stars.
Michael Olunga, Anthony Akumu, Erick Otieno, Rooney Onyango, Amos Nondi and of course, Benson Omala currently play or have played for Gor Mahia before, and all had a positive impact in helping the side get such an impressive result.
Not to mention Kenneth Muguna, who remained an unused substitute for the clash but has been a starter over the last couple of fixtures.
Follow our Pulse Sports WhatsApp channel for more updates.
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