Harambee Stars Captain Explains First-Half Struggles After Loss to Estonia: 'It's Too Painful'

Harambee Stars captain Abud Omar has reflected on the painful defeat to Estonia in their opening FIFA Series match at the Amahoro Stadium in Kigali, Rwanda, on Friday, March 28.

He also highlighted the difficulties his side encountered in the first half, as well as the adjustments that led to a stronger showing after the break.

The match saw Estonia take an early lead within 20 minutes, before Ryan Ogam restored parity in the 51st minute. However, Harambee Stars eventually fell short, losing 5-4 in the penalty shootout.

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Speaking after the match, Abud Omar admitted that the defeat to Estonia was deeply disappointing, noting that the team took time to fully settle into the match and read the opposition’s style in the opening half.

He explained that after making key tactical adjustments during the break, the team improved significantly in the second half, managed to restore balance in the game, and created enough opportunities to take control. However, he pointed out that their inability to finish chances proved costly in the end.

The Harambee Stars captain added that, given the nature of a penalty shootout, the outcome was always uncertain, but it was still painful for the squad because they felt they had done enough in normal play to secure a win.

“It’s too painful because, as you can see, in the first half we struggled a little bit to understand how our opponents play, and then we analysed them in the second half, and we equalised. We had a good game, but unfortunately, we did not convert all of our chances,” Abud Omar said.

“At the end of the day, you know it's penalties, you never know, so it’s painful because we believed that we could have won easily. We are going to see what to do in the next game so that we can win.”

Abud Omar highlighted the challenge of team cohesion in their match against Estonia, noting that the introduction of several new players made the early stages of the game difficult as the squad was still adjusting to each other’s playing styles.

He explained that this lack of familiarity affected their rhythm in the first half, as both understanding between teammates and coordination on the pitch were still developing during the opening period.

However, he added that after the break, the team had gained a clearer read on the opposition’s approach and improved their own communication and structure, which made their overall performance more effective in the second half.

“We had new players, and it was a bit difficult because we didn’t know how they play or how we play and it was a struggle. However, in the second half, we had a bit of knowledge on how they play and that made things easier on our end,” he added.