Lesotho vs Kenya: Micah Obiero and Caleb Kramer Debut as Harambee Stars Settle for a Draw

Harambee Stars were forced to settle for a 1-1 draw against Lesotho in the first leg of their international friendly at the Lucas Moripe Stadium in Pretoria, South Africa, on Thursday, June 4.

Despite showing promising attacking moments and introducing several new faces, Benni McCarthy's side could not hold on to their lead and had to share the spoils with the Crocodiles.

The result leaves the tie evenly balanced heading into the second leg, which is scheduled to take place on Sunday, June 7, providing the technical bench with another valuable opportunity to assess the squad and fine-tune tactical combinations.

These friendly matches form part of Harambee Stars' preparations for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers in September, where Kenya will face a challenging group that includes South Africa's Bafana Bafana, Guinea, and Eritrea.

Harambee Stars kicked off their campaign with an energetic start, showing flashes of attacking brilliance and clear intent to trouble Lesotho’s defence.

They maintained constant pressure, repeatedly threatening to find the back of the net in the early stages of the match.

Their persistence eventually paid off in the 14th minute when they broke the deadlock thanks to Frank Odhiambo.

The match continued at a high intensity, with the Crocodiles pushing forward in search of an equaliser. However, Harambee Stars held firm defensively, with Sylvester Owino leading a solid backline that kept the opposition at bay.

Despite Lesotho’s late first-half pressure, Harambee Stars remained disciplined and went into the break leading 1-0.

Coming back for the second half, Benni McCarthy made a few changes, including giving William Lenkupae, who is currently unattached, an opportunity to feature, with Stanley Wilson Omondi also making his senior debut.

Harambee Stars continued with their high-pressing approach, consistently creating attacking threats, but Lesotho remained disciplined and resolute in defence. Efforts from Mohamed Bajaber and Lawrence Okoth were repeatedly blocked, keeping the game tight.

In the 56th minute, Lesotho nearly found an equaliser when a striker found space just outside the box but opted for a blind pass under pressure, which was safely collected by Sylvester Owino.

In the 60th minute, Lawrence Okoth found himself in a great position to double the lead, but his effort went narrowly wide.

Four minutes later, Lesotho responded with a close chance of their own as Faruk Shikhalo came off his line to intervene, though the attempt ultimately drifted off target.

Benni McCarthy made further changes, introducing debutants Micah Obiero and Caleb Kramer while also giving Erick Ouma, who had recently recovered from injury, game time.

However, shortly after the substitutions, Lesotho struck in the 70th minute, scoring from a well-taken free kick to get back into the match.

In the 80th minute, Lesotho nearly found the back of the net again, but Caleb Kramer produced a brilliant save to keep the scores level.

Despite late efforts from both sides to find a winner, neither team was able to make the decisive breakthrough, as the match ultimately ended in a 1-1 draw.