Why Kenya lost to South Sudan in CHAN 2024 qualifier

Harambee Stars assistant coach Ken Odhiambo has broken his silence on the team's lethargic performance against South Sudan in their recent Africa Nations Championship qualifying clashes.

The Stars experienced a surprising 2-0 defeat to South Sudan in the first leg at Juba National Stadium on October 27, before producing a drab 1-1 draw in the return leg held at the Mandela National Stadium, Uganda, on November 3.

Under-fire Harambee Stars head coach Engin Firat again came under serious scrutiny following the results, but Odhiambo feels lack of a home advantage was to blame for the lukewarm performance.

"Unfortunately, we did enjoy the same privilege in the return match and thus the result. The team misses playing home matches in Kenya," Odhiambo told SportsBoom. The Stars were to redeem themselves against South Sudan after their 5-1 loss on aggregate against continental giants Cameroon in the AFCON qualifiers but blew the chance away.

Odhiambo, who doubles up as Bandari head coach, said inadequate preparations proved detrimental for the Stars as opposed to their counterparts, who have played together for a while. "We lost to a team that is used to playing together in big matches. Their team is largely made up of local-based players, who have played together for years. Looking at the results they have been registering in World Cup and AFCON qualifiers against top teams, it shows that they are a team that has gelled well," Odhiambo observed.

"This was the first time we were assembling a squad purely constituted by local players after a long time," explained Odhiambo.

Although the match was of no importance to Kenya having already qualified for CHAN 2025 by being co-host, Odhiambo argues that South Sudan is not an accomplished team. "We didn't lose to a team that is stronger than us. However, some factors that are beyond our control contributed to it. South Sudan had home advantage when it mattered most, and they used it."

 For Mila Pulse Sport

~ Dan ~