Harambee Stars will be aiming to end their debut Fifa Series campaign on a high when they take on Grenada in the third-place play-off match of the four-team invitational friendly tournament tonight from 5pm (Kenyan time) at the Amahoro Stadium in Kigali.
Harambee Stars failed to reach the final after a 5-4 sudden-death penalty shoot-out loss to Estonia on Friday at the same venue. The match, which was the first ever meeting between the two countries, had ended 1-1 in regulation time. The northern Europeans will meet hosts Rwanda in the final tonight from 10pm at the Amahoro Stadium. Rwanda reached the final after defeating Grenada 4-0.
The Fifa Series is a collection of four-team invitational friendly football tournaments taking place in eight countries selected by Fifa, the organisers, as host member associations. The tournament, played biennially in March, gives national teams from different confederations more opportunities to play against each other.
Harambee Stars and Grenada will be meeting for the first time ever in what will be Kenya’s 750th international football match. Grenada, ranked 53 places lower than Kenya at position 165 in the latest Fifa rankings, will become the 75th different opponent Harambee Stars have played in international football.
Grenada, with a land area of 345 square kilometres and a population of just 117,000 people, will also become the smallest and least populous nation that Harambee Stars have ever played against. That record was previously held by Seychelles, a country with a land area of 457 square kilometres and 121,000 people.
Harambee Stars coach, Benni McCarthy, will be hoping that his team avoids a lacklustre start against the Caribbean nation and will be clinical in front of goal.
“I hope we do well from the start and allow fewer silly mistakes. I hope the team can keep that momentum and make use of the opportunities that we get. If we miss chances and get the opposition off the hook, we make things hard for ourselves,” McCarthy said during the pre-match press conference on Sunday.
Against Estonia, Harambee Stars had a poor start and trailed 1-0 at half-time after debutant Tanel Tammik opened the scoring in the 21st minute before Ryan Ogam equalised for Harambee Stars in the 51st minute with his seventh international goal.
Harambee Stars had chances to win the game, but Job Ochieng’ and Lawrence Okoth wasted glorious opportunities.
Real Sociedad winger Ochieng’ will miss tonight’s match after suffering a hamstring injury in the first half against Estonia.
“The scan showed that his injury is nothing serious and he will need a little rest and lay off. He has gone back to his club to receive further treatment. Obviously, I am disappointed to lose him because he has been a stand-out player for us,” McCarthy said as he confirmed Ochieng’s absence before hinting he will make some changes to his team for the match against Grenada.
“After our final training session, I will decide if we will need to make some changes to the team because the idea is to give an opportunity to everyone to get some minutes and represent their country,” McCarthy said.
Two players – Gor Mahia defender Frank Odhiambo and English-born Tranmere Rovers midfielder Zech Obiero – got an opportunity to represent Kenya for the first time on Friday. McCarthy praised their performance.
“Frank was exceptional. He did not look like a debutant. He was very commanding. I hope he keeps that up. Obiero needed time to adjust and got going in the second half and showed the qualities that I wanted him to show. He controlled the tempo of the game and gave nice passes. I hope he gets better and helps the team achieve its targets,” McCarthy said.
Additionally, McCarthy said that his team is making progress despite struggling to win matches.
“The football that we want to play is evident to see, but it would help if the results were positive. Without wins, it is hard to motivate players. In as much as I see some positive progression in the team, the team has to win, and that is what we aim for,” McCarthy said.
Frank Odhiambo, who accompanied McCarthy to the press conference, said Harambee Stars will show more “passion and unity” against Grenada.
“The match is part of our build-up for the future. We will employ everything the coach and the technical bench wish we do. We will work as a unit and give our best. We hope to start on a high note and give Kenyans something to be proud of,” Odhiambo said.
