‘Harambee Stars were nervous’ – Firat a***sses defeat to South Sudan

Wednesday, September 13th, 2023 14:59 | By

Harambee Stars in action against South Sudan at Kasarani. PHOTO/(@Harambee__Stars)/Harambee Stars/X — Harambee Stars in action against South Sudan at Kasarani. PHOTO/Harambee Stars/X

Harambee Stars head coach Engin Firat has said the players were nervous during their 1-0 defeat to South Sudan on September 12, 2023.

A Tito Okello first-half goal was the only difference in the game, as Kenya failed to make it back-to-back wins following their previous victory over Qatar.

Harambee Stars not focused

While assessing the game, Firat said his players were nervous in the opening minutes of the Kasarani duel.

"I don’t know why I felt after the game against Qatar that the boys were not so focused. Things looked to have changed, and the boys looked so nervous in the first ten minutes.

"I again don’t know why; maybe it's because they were playing at home for the first time in two years and we made so many simple mistakes," Firat said in his post-match reaction.

While acknowledging that the Bright Stars defended well, the Turkish coach said their plans did not work.

"South Sudan defended really well, I must say, because our plan before the match and what we trained was to force the ball and overlap through the sides, and it didn’t work as I wanted.

"In the end, if you think that Joseph Okumu is one of the best we have, never make a mistake like this; it happens. This is football. This is the reason we are a team," he added.

Kenyans cheer Harambee Stars at Kasarani. PHOTO/(@Harambee__Stars)/Harambee Stars/X

Wasted chances

Apart from the plan not working, the coach said Kenya wasted chances, but he also decided not to take the loss from a negative perspective and view it as a learning process.

"We had enough ball chances to win the game in the end, and South Sudan had not even a chance, and they ended up winning. This is the reality of football."

"For me, it’s one more match to learn and know which players to use when and where on the pitch. Of course, it is painful to lose at home and an unlucky day that at least doesn’t happen in the qualifiers," he concluded.

After a win and a loss in the September FIFA window, Harambee Stars will regroup again in November, when they are expected to commence their World Cup qualifying process.