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McCarthy defends Harambee Stars’ lacklustre display against Estonia in FIFA Series
28th March, 2026 11:16 AM
Harambee Stars head coach Benni McCarthy has defended his charges after posting a dismal outcome against low-ranked Estonia in the ongoing 2026 FIFA Series in Kigali, Rwanda.
Kenya lost 5-4 to the European side after the game ended 1-1 in regulation time, forcing the tie to be decided by the spotkicks at the Amahoro Stadium on Friday night, March 27, 2026. Harambee Stars fell short and got relegated to the third-place play-off, where they will face Grenada on Monday, March 30, 2026, to try and redeem their image.
Kenya blinks
Kenya conceded through a corner kick within 20 minutes; Tammik beat goalkeeper Ian Otieno with a well-placed header. Kenya went into the break trailing Estonia; however, Ryan Ogam levelled matters for Harambee Stars early in the second half after finishing a well-placed pass by Zech Obiero.
Speaking after the match, McCarthy admitted that the first half of the match was a bit slow, but was impressed by the team’s performance in the second half.
”First half, I was a little disappointed because we started lucklustered, but in the second half, as the game went on, we got the momentum. I just told the boys that we are not playing with the same desire that I know we can,” the South African tactician said.
Kenya came close to taking the lead soon after, but Lawrence Ouma failed to hit the target from a promising counterattack. Another late opportunity also went begging when a dangerous cross narrowly missed Mohammed Bajaber.
Heading the right direction
Benni McCarthy also admitted that following the show in Kigali, the team is headed in the right direction, as Kenya races against time to prepare for hosting the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations alongside Uganda and Tanzania.
”Second half, we were by far the most dominant team, we moved well, we got into good areas. With penalties, it is a lottery; we did the same in CHAN, and we know the result. 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 added.
Additionally, despite the disappointing outcome, Football Kenya Federation President Hussein Mohammed has 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 took to Facebook on Saturday, March 28, 2026.
