Harambee Stars head coach Sebastien Migne is unfazed by Kenya’s elimination from the Champions of African Nations (CHAN) after seeing Tanzania put a stop to their journey at Kasarani Stadium on Sunday.
Kenya’s dream of reaching the first CHAN finals ended prematurely when Taifa Stars won the two-leg tie on post-match penalties.
The second leg ended in a stalemate before Juma Kaseja saved penalties from defenders Michael Kibwage and Joash Onyango to give Tanzania a 4-1 victory.
However, Migne says Kenya still has a long way to go and the defeat should not be taken too seriously. “We are still a work in progress. We must not forget where we were, where we are and where the rest are,” said Migne.
The Frenchman also dismissed sentiments that he is feeling pressure after the the defeat and he might be considering his future. “I am not resigning. If you are already struggling to pay me, imagine if you had to pay my whole contract. When I arrived, Kenya had lost to Sierra Leone but we went on to qualify for Afcon. We could have won this match had the transfer window not robbed us key players like Francis Kahata, John Avire and Farouk Shikalo,” added Migne.
A mixture of fielding errors and inept strategy left Kenya reeling in the opening half before a David Owino-led late revival failed to bear fruit.
Harambee Stars did nothing reminiscent of a team playing at home in the entire opening half. Not a single shot on goal was mustered by the hosts.
The only interesting occurrence was Joash Onyango winning duels against Tanzania captain and star striker John Bocco.
Taifa Stars on the other hand, cognizant of the need for away goal, played with purpose. The visitors kept John Oyemba busy and the Kenyan backline stretched.
Oyemba had to make four saves to keep Kenya in the game, thwarting Bocco three times and punching out Jonas Mkude’s free-kick.
