Defeat for Austine & Co. as Maina and Lawrence Ouma score
By Luke Oluoch, February 1, 2026Harambee Star ace Lawrence Ouma and Kenyan prospect Linton Maina bagged crucial goals for their respective teams in the European league on Saturday, January 31, 2026.
Maina starred for Bundesliga outfit FC Koln, who beat Wolfsburg to continue their fine form, as the Kenya U20 striker and former MOFA attacker also stayed on the goals for SJK Akatemia in a cup tie in Finland.
Ouma, who joined the paid ranks after his 2025 U20 AFCON exploits, got the opener 11 minutes in to give the visitors the lead.
The visitors were, however, pegged back just before halftime courtesy of Ali Abubakar’s strike.
Aatu Piiroinen’s strike at the hour mark, however, secured maximum points for Lopes Paulo’s charges.
Austin and Co. taste defeat
In Lebanon, the Harambee Stars trio Austin Odhiambo, Teddy Akumu, and Masud Juma ended up on the losing side as Nejmeh SC suffered a 1-0 home defeat to Al-Safa Beirut in a Lebanese Premier League encounter.
The loss leaves Nejmeh second on the table with 27 points.
Nejmeh now trails league leaders Al Ansar by five points.
On Friday, Kenyan prospect Linton Maina continued in his stunning form, scoring the all-important goal as FC Koln edged Bundesliga Wolfsburg.
The strike followed after he also netted in Koln’s 3-1 defeat to reigning Bundesliga champions Bayern Munchen weeks ago.
Maina claims MoTM award
Despite the goal-scoring heroics, the encounter concluded on a losing note for the prospect after Vincent Kompany’s team rallied to sink the top-league rivals.
The Bundesliga wonderkid, however, settled for the man of the match award after being named the game’s standout player.
The win, Koln’s sixth in the league, saw them climb the table to tenth after 20 games.
Maina, who is of Kenyan-German descent, is eligible to play for Kenya through his parents.
The former Hannover U19 hotshot player has, however, represented Germany, coming through the European country’s youth ranks.
Harambee Stars coach Benni McCarthy recently named him among an array of young talents he seeks to include in his future Harambee Stars team.