Benni McCarthy Hails Harambee Stars Despite Penalty Defeat to Estonia in FIFA Series: 'We're Making Progress'

Harambee Stars coach Benni McCarthy praised his team for a strong performance against Estonia in the FIFA Series on Friday night, March 27, despite falling short in a penalty shootout.

Estonia opened the scoring through Tanel Tammik in the 20th minute, before Ryan Ogam restored parity in the 51st minute to bring the match level.

Harambee Stars created several chances to take control but were unable to convert them, with the game finishing 1-1 in normal time.

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The match was ultimately decided on penalties, where Kenya lost 5-4. Harambee Stars will now turn their attention to the third-place play-off against Grenada on Monday, March 30, after the Caribbean side suffered a 4-1 defeat to Rwanda in their previous outing.

After the match, Benni McCarthy said that despite the disappointment of losing in the shootout, he was encouraged by the overall performance and attitude shown by his players.

He explained that the team had demonstrated significant improvement in terms of discipline, decision-making, and emotional control under pressure, particularly in a tightly contested match that ultimately had to be decided from the spot.

Benni McCarthy also highlighted the level of opposition they were up against, noting that their opponents had recently competed against some of Europe’s strongest sides, including top-tier national teams with world-class players, making the challenge a demanding one for his squad.

He pointed out that, although Kenya is still developing on the international stage, the performance reflected clear signs of progress and growing competitiveness. In his view, the way the players stood toe-to-toe with such experienced opposition showed that the team is moving in the right direction.

The coach added that his main priority is not only results but also continuous improvement, expressing satisfaction that the team is beginning to show the qualities and mentality required to compete consistently at a higher level.

“And now today as well, you know, but you think when you lose on penalties, the effort that the boys gave, the maturity that they showed, and the composure, and yeah, to compete against a team that played against Italy, this is a team that faced Haaland, they played against Norway, they played against really good opposition,” Benni McCarthy told reporters in a video shared by Ugandan journalist Clive Kyazze on X (Twitter).

“We, only a small African country, East Africa, but yeah, we showed today that, you know, we're making progress in the right direction, and I think that's all that I want for my team.”

Benni McCarthy admitted that his side began the match on a slow note, expressing disappointment with their lack of intensity and sharpness in the opening half.

The former Manchester United coach explained that the team initially struggled to impose themselves, failing to play with the urgency and energy he expected, which allowed their opponents to control spells of the game early on.

According to him, he challenged the players during the break to increase their movement, improve their positioning, and circulate the ball more effectively to create space and stretch the opposition as the match progressed.

Benni McCarthy noted that his tactical message was aimed at exploiting the expected drop in the opposition’s intensity over time, stressing the importance of intelligent off-the-ball movement to force defensive gaps later in the game.

He added that the second half showed a significant improvement, with Kenya taking control, playing with greater fluency, and finding better attacking areas, which led to their equaliser and several opportunities to win the match before it ultimately went to penalties.

"Listen, I think the first half I was a little bit disappointed because I think we started very lacklustre and yeah, but I think as the game went on in the second half, we started getting our momentum. Then the second half, I just said to the boys, you know, we're not playing with the same desire that I know that we can and yeah, we just need a little bit more movement of the ball and get into space," he added.

“You know, Lawrence, the striker, ball from Ben Stanley. And then also last gasp earlier, the defender saved it off the line, kind of. And then, yeah, when you go to penalties, it's a lottery. You know, it's a lottery. And as I said, we don't have the best fortune with penalties. We did the same in CHAN. And it was, we know the result.”

Harambee Stars are now focusing on their next fixture, identifying key areas for improvement as they aim to respond strongly and secure third place.