With Kenya out of the running for the 2014 world cup, coach Adel Amrouche was using the Namibia the game against Namibia as a build up match, given the scarcity of Harambee Stars friendlies. As a results, he called all the top guns including Dennis Oliech, Victor Wanyama and Jamal Mohamed.
David Owino once again showed his goal scoring ability in crowded boxes, something he has done repeatedly in the Kenya Premier League.
Namibia dominated possession for lengthy periods especially in the second half. But they were unable to penetrate the Kenyan rear-guard where Owino, Jockins Atudo and Brian Mandela were in an uncompromising mood. Yet again it was the defence that was Kenya’s best department. Aboud Omar was the exception. He was a tad shaky in the first half and Namibia took advantage of his flank to launch their attacks. However Omar proved to be very good when going forward. On several occassions, he wreaked havoc on the Namibian defence.
Owino was the most adventurous of the defenders as he made several runs down the right flank. In the 44th minute he found Dennis Oliech who was lurking near the edge of the box with a cross. Oliech’s resulting bullet header seemed destined for goal before it was parried by the Namibian keeper.
In the middle of the park, Jamal Mohammed was in fine form, linking up with other players, creating space with deft touches and almost always completing his passes. Victor Wanyama was very comfortable on the ball and was literally unshakable when he had it. However his passes were a tad off target. Francis Kahata was competent in midfield and combined well with Jamal Mohamed. However Amrouche should hive Paul Were some opportunities. The latter has been in spectacular form in the Kenya premier league.
In attack, Dennis Oliech started the game off well peppering the Namibian keeper with shots. However he seemed to run out of steam in the second half. On two occassions, he was put through with a good pass. The Oliech we have come to know would have run at the defenders and gone for goal. Instead he hesitated and attempted to find a trailing defender. It quickly became apparent that he was likely hampered by his toe injury.
“Being a statesman you have to make sacrifices. Today I had to come out strong and play despite an injured toe in order to encourage the players.” Oliech said after the game.
Allan Wanga came on in the 36th minute in place of Edwin Lavatsa. Wanga brought more urgency upfront. In the 70th minute he picked up a pass from Peter Opiyo, blew past a Namibian defender and unleashed a fierce drive which crashed against the cross bar.
All in all an average performance by Kenya but a morale boosting win against a team that has proven a tough nut to crack. It also comes at a time when the national team has been abandoned by the government and by sponsors in large part due to the corruption and incompetence at FKF.
Also important is that the win will help the Stars climb slightly in the FIFA rankings. FIFA rankings are critical as the seeding for the next set of qualifiers is based on FIFA rankings.
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