Harambee Stars ace Mansur Okwaro rallies teammates to shift focus on third playoff clash
By Luke Oluoch, March 28, 2026Harambee Stars midfield dynamo Mansur Okwaro has urged his teammates and the country not to dwell on the heartbreaking defeat to Estonia on Friday, March 27, 2026, at the Amahoro Stadium.
Despite a spirited performance after going a goal down in the FIFA Series friendly against Estonia, Kenya battled back courtesy of Ryan Ogam’s strike to a 1-1 draw in normal time.
Benni McCarthy’s charges saw their run of friendly defeats snapped with the draw in regular time. However, it was Estonia who proceeded to the series final, where they will play hosts Rwanda on Sunday.
Speaking on the game, Mansur said the tie is now behind them, with their sights set on Grenada, who fell to a 4-0 thrashing at the hands of Rwanda.
“The tie is now behind us; we now focus on securing the number three slot after failing to make it to the finals,” he said.
The Stade de Reims youngster also revealed the motivation behind the team’s fightback.
“The message was to go play our football and stick to the plan,” he responded when asked about the secret behind the team’s inspired second-half show, after appearing out of sorts against the lower-ranked European nation for large spells of the opening half.
His remarks come as Kenya now shifts focus to the third-place playoff, where Grenada awaits.
Following the defeat, Football Kenya Federation President Hussein Mohammed also expressed confidence in Benni McCarthy’s men.
“That was a good display from the Harambee Stars. Let’s now shift our focus to the third-place playoff,” Mohammed posted on his Facebook on Saturday, March 28, 2026.
His sentiments came after McCarthy also defended the performance of his team.
“The boys showed energy, composure and maturity to compete. This is a team that played against Italy and Norway. We are only a small African country, but yeah, we showed today that we are making progress in the right direction,” he said.