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Harambee Stars fall to World Cup-bound Côte d'Ivoire in Abidjan
Harambee Stars players celebrate after beating DR Congo 1-0 in Group ‘D’ of 2024 African Nations Championship at Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani on August 3.
In the end, Cote d’Ivoire got the job done, and Harambee Stars left Abidjan with some unfinished business. The Elephants returned to the Fifa World Cup after a 12-year absence following a 3-0 victory over Harambee Stars at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium in Abidjan on Tuesday night. Frank Kessie (7th minute), Yan Diomande (53rd minute), and Amad Diallo (85th minute) scored for the West Africans.
On their part, Harambee Stars fell short in their bid to score Kenya’s 100th goal in Fifa World Cup qualifying matches, a landmark now left to be reached at the next attempt of qualifying for football’s global showpiece.
With The Gambia winning 7-0 away to Seychelles earlier on Tuesday, the result saw Harambee Stars finishing their 2026 Fifa World Cup qualifying campaign fourth in Group ‘F’ with 12 points. The Scorpions leapfrogged them to third place with 13 places.
Cote d’Ivoire finished top of the group with 26 points. The Elephants went unbeaten, and they became the ninth team in history to qualify for the Fifa World Cup without conceding a goal, after Italy (1934 and 1974), Turkey (1950), Yugoslavia (1954), Uruguay (1970), Chile (1982), England (1990), and Tunisia (2026).
Gabon, who won 2-0 at home to Burundi, settled for second and will continue their World Cup qualification journey in the continental play-offs scheduled for November in Morocco. Burundi’s 10 points were enough for fifth place as Seychelles finished bottom with zero points, after losing all their matches and conceding 53 goals, more than other team in the CAF region qualifiers.
Harambee Stars had dreamed big before the match, with the squad’s South African coach Benni McCarthy declaring that Cote d’Ivoire will have to sweat for their place at the 2026 Fifa World Cup, which will be co-hosted by Canada, Mexico, and the United States. “Football is played on the pitch, not on paper. Cote d'Ivoire should not expect any favours from us. We are going for a win, and if Cote d'Ivoire wants to qualify for the World Cup, they must earn it,” McCarthy had said on Monday last week in Nairobi.
McCarthy’s line-up pronounced that boldness and quest for enterprise that highlighted Kenya’s only two previous adventures to Abidjan – a 3-3 draw against The Gambia in March 2025 and a 5-0 thrashing of Seychelles in November 2023.
Byrne Omondi started in goal, protected by Daniel Sakari, Sylvester Owino, Collins Sichenje, and Alphone Omija. That back four and the front three of captain Michael Olunga, Ryan Ogam, and Wilson Lenkupae sandwiched the midfield trio of Alpha Onyango, Manzur Okwaro, and Timothy Ouma.
Yet when the match started, it was Cote d’Ivoire’s class that quickly sent Harambee Stars – who had won only once in 19 previous matches against reigning Afcon champions – to nervous perspiration. After just five minutes, Manchester United winger Amad Diallo delivered a menacing preamble of the match’s eventual headline. He pickpocketed Manzur Okwaro high on the right channel, cut in, exchanged passes with teammates, before having his deflected shot cleared off the line by Sylvester Owino.
Diallo’s industry was more persuasive two minutes later as Cote d’Ivoire suppressed Harambee Stars’ defiance with more authority. Diallo’s dribbling on the right wing terminated in a pass to his captain, Franck Kessie, who cut through past Harambee Stars’ static defence before slamming into the net.
Byrne Omondi was helpless, but when Cote d’Ivoire tested him three more times before the end of the first half, he proved equal to the task. Still, the story would have been different had the profligacy of Evan Ndicka, Nicolas Pepe, and Amad Diallo not sent the ball narrowly wide, hitting the side-netting and landing on the net’s roof.
The second half followed a similar script but with Harambee Stars showing more promise. Ibrahim Sangare sent a free kick into the Abidjan sky in the 48th minute, and quickly Harambee Stars responded by bombing forward. John Ochieng’, who replaced Alphonce Omija at the break as Adam Wilson replaced Alpha Onyango, won a corner which was poorly taken and easily cleared.
Still, the next attack belonged to Harambee Stars, with Daniel Sakari finally firing Kenya’s only shot of the match in the 51st minute. However, it went high and wide. When play resumed, Yan Diomande powered the hosts to a 2-0 lead.
Evann Guessand almost made it 3-0 in the 58th minute, but Omondi saved his audacious flick with matching nonchalance.
Soon, the sky above Abidjan opened and the rains fell on six substitutions – three by each team with Duke Abuya, Austin Odhiambo, and Marvin Nabwire coming for captain Michael Olunga, Wilson Lenkupae, and Timothy Ouma respectively – and Diallo finally getting on the score sheet in the 85th minute after rifling a free kick to Omondi's bottom right corner.
Diallo’s goal was the cherry on top of the cake for Cote d’Ivoire. The final whistle by Malian referee Naby Laye Toure sent them to their fourth World Cup, following up on appearances in 2006, 2010, and 2014.
