FIFA Series: Harambee Stars seek redemption against Grenada

Austin Odhiambo leads Harambee Stars players during a training session in Kigali. [Harambee Stars, Facebook]

Harambee Stars will be aiming to end their FIFA Series campaign on a high when they take on the Grenada national football team in the third-place playoff on Monday evening at Amahoro Stadium.

The match, set for a 5 pm East African Time kick-off, offers Kenya a chance to bounce back after a painful semifinal loss to Estonia national football team.

Kenya showed fight in that match, holding Estonia to a 1-1 draw in regular time. Tanel Tammik had given the Europeans the lead before Ryan Ogam restored parity for the East Africans.

The contest was eventually decided through penalties, where a miss by Richard Odada proved costly as Estonia edged the shootout 5-4 to book a place in the final.

Estonia will now face hosts Rwanda national football team, who comfortably beat Grenada 4-0 in the other semifinal.

Despite the disappointment, head coach Benni McCarthy remains upbeat about his team’s performance and believes they can finish strongly.

“I think it’s been a good challenge for us. The Estonia game is still fresh in our minds, and I’m happy with how the boys performed. Losing on penalties is never easy, but it is part of football,” said McCarthy.

He added that the focus has now fully shifted to the playoff match, where he expects his players to build on the positives from the semifinal.

“We want to continue the good work from the last game and carry it into the match against Grenada. Hopefully, we can finish this tournament with a win because that is what the team deserves,” he said.

Monday’s clash will mark the first-ever meeting between Kenya and Grenada, adding an extra layer of intrigue as both sides look to make a statement.

Harambee Stars head into the match with mixed recent form, having managed just one win in their last five outings, a narrow 1-0 victory over Burundi. Losses to Ivory Coast, Guinea, Senegal and Estonia have exposed areas that the team is still working to improve.

McCarthy, however, insists that results are not the only focus at this stage. He pointed out that the FIFA Series is part of a bigger plan to prepare the team for 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, which Kenya will co-host.

“By the time AFCON 2027 comes, all the experience we gain from tournaments like this will help us grow as a team and as individuals,” he noted.

The coach stressed the importance of gradual improvement, saying the current objective is to build a competitive and confident squad.

“For now, it’s about improving, getting better and learning from every experience. When 2027 comes, we want to be in a position where we can aim to win most of our group matches and progress further in the tournament,” he said.