Brave Swaziland dim out Harambee Stars at home

[PHOTO: COURTESY]

Swaziland edged out Harambee Stars 1-0 in the friendly match at Machakos Stadium yesterday.

The visitors scored in the 72nd minute when Wonder Nheko beat Boniface Oluoch with a low-placed shot.

The goal came after a series of missed chances from both sides.

First, it was when Barry Stenkamp found himself with only Oluoch to beat in the Kenyan goal but his feeble shot was no threat.

At the hour mark, Piston Mutamba was well placed by Francis Kahata but he could not score from a tight angle.

Marvin Omondi’s well-taken free kick two minutes later hit the woodwork as Kenya upped their attack.

Swaziland coach Antony Mdluli said he was excited with the results since his side were striving for a draw.

“It was a good practice match for both sides. Our opponents are very physical but we managed to hold them on the flanks which slowed them down. We were also a bit slow on the transition which denied us some chances,” he said.

Kenyan coach Sebastian Migne admitted he was disappointed with the result.

“When you play football you want to win. The first one hour was interesting but after that we forgot to do what we know best. Maybe the players were tired physically,” he said.

Migne said: “The last 15 minutes were not so bad after we conceded the goal. We also tried to be better offensively.”

Meanwhile, Harambee Starlets on Wednesday reported to camp ahead of their Africa Women Cup of Nations Qualifier against Equatorial Guinea.