Teen sensation Shumah beside himself with joy after scoring first goal for Stars

Teen sensation Moses Shumah is over the moon after scoring his maiden goal in his first assignment for the national team Harambee Stars.

Nineteen-year-old Shumah was on target on Wednesday when Harambee Stars beat lowly Pakistan 1-0 in their first match of four-nation tournament played at Cote D’Or National Complex in Port Louis, Mauritius.

Harambee Stars face Mauritius on Sunday in the last match of the tournament. The other competing teams are Djibouti and Pakistan. Coach Engin Firat is expected to field a strong squad against Mauritius which is ranked 180 in the Fifa rankings.

Speaking to Nation Sport from Mauritius, the young forward said his focus is now on nailing down a starting position in the national team in as many matches as possible as he looks to become a top striker for the country.

“I feel good to have scored my first goal for the national team. The goal means a lot to me and has given me a lot of confidence ahead of our match against Mauritius. I hope this is the start of good things to come,” said Shumah, who plays for Football Kenya Federation Premier League team Kakamega Homeboyz.

Shumah is following in the footsteps of former Harambee Stars striker Dennis ‘The Menace’ Oliech who is regarded as one of the finest forwards to have played for the national team. 

Oliech in 2004 Afcon qualifiers and only 19 years old then, scored an important goal against Cape Verde which took Kenya to African Cup of Nations.

“I attribute this goal to all those who have helped nurture my talent, especially John Baraza (former Kakamega Homeboyz coach) and my current coach Patrick Odhiambo. I’m happy now but what would make me follow in the footsteps of some of the best footballers in the country is bagging more goals and that calls for a lot of work and dedication,” he added.

The young striker dispelled the notion that 195th-ranked Pakistan was an easy opponent and that Stars would have scored more goals against the Asian nation.

“In the second half, Pakistan played well and missed some good opportunities which would have ended up being goals had we not defended well. I think they are coming up well and will be a good team in future,” he said.

Shumah joined Kakamega Homeboyz from Football Kenya Federation Division Two Side KUSCO FC at the start of the season and has five goals to his name. Despite being benched at the start of the season, he has worked hard and relegated Michael Karamor who was Homeboyz's top striker to the bench.

The striker, who uses both feet and can play both number 9 and 11 positions caught the eyes of many with a sterling performance in the 2-1 win over AFC Leopards in the Mozzart Bet Cup semi-finals at Nyayo National Stadium May 20.

He scored the first goal for 'Abana ba Ingoo' in that contest with evergreen Kevin Amwayi adding the second one. Cliff Nyakeya netted the lone goal for Ingwe. 

On the youngster, Kakamega Homeboyz Patrick Odhiambo said:

“Shumah is a great talent and can be a very important player for Harambee Stars. He has speed and good ball control and I’m happy that he scored for the national team. If well nurtured, he will go places because he is talented.”

Homeboyz face Tusker in the final of Mozzart Bet Cup on July 1 and Odhiambo says Shumah is among the key players he is expecting to help him win the trophy and qualify for the Caf Confederation Cup next season.