Reality check for Harambee Stars after humbling home defeat to Gambia

Harambee Stars were handed a reality check on Friday after The Gambia hammered them 3-0 in Group F’s 2026 World Cup qualifiers match played at a packed Kasarani Stadium.

After all the hype and talk on how they are going to ride on the red and white army now synonymous with Kasarani games, Kenya were reduced to whipping boys by Jonathan McKinstry, the former Gor Mahia coach who now leads Gambia.

Boasting of English Premier League experience brought by Brighton’s Yakuba Minteh, Gambia schooled Kenya how to play football despite a slow start, breaking the hosts with counterattacks from the flanks.

Romania-based defender Sheriff Sinyan, Saudi Arabia-based Musa Barrow and Minteh found the back of the net for the visitors, who leapfrogged Kenya to fourth in the standings with seven points.

Ryna Ogam, who scored twice for Kenya during CHAN, came off the bench to score Harambee Stars' consolation.

Gabon sit top of the standings with 18 points following the 4-0 win over Seychelles last Wednesday, followed by Ivory Coast (16), who were due to play third-placed Burundi (10) on Friday night.

Kenya began the match strongly, immediately winning the ball off the visitors’ start and taking control of the midfield battle early on, moving the ball with ease through tight spaces with Richard Odada, Duke Abuya and Timothy Ouma exchanging passes.

The early dominance produced the first real chance of the match when Emmanuel Osoro found William Lenkupae with a low cross from the left wing.

The Finland-based attacker controlled the ball before hitting a low volley that, despite catching the Gambia goalkeeper Baboucarr Gaye off guard, sailed inches wide.

In the ninth minute, Gaye nearly gifted Kenya an easy goal with a poor clearance, the ball falling kindly to Lenkupae’s path, but Gambia defender Sainey Sanyang recovered brilliantly, piling pressure on the striker and clearing the danger.

The deafening Kasarani Stadium was brought to silence in the 12th minute when Sheriff Sinyan planted Yankuba Minteh’s corner set piece into the net after finding himself unmarked inside the six-yard box as Gambia took a 1-0 lead against the run of play.

Ouma, though he had equalised with a stunning curler from the edge of the box almost immediately, the flag was already up for Osoro, who had sent the cut back to the Kenyan midfielder.

A series of poor ball touches at the back followed, the early midfield dominance reduced to errors and mistakes that almost cost Kenya, with Musa Barrow and Minteh seizing the errors but failing to find the back of the net.

The hosts recovered their footing in the 20th minute, moving the ball from side to side before Abud Omar sent a cross into the box, despite the silent Michael Olunga heading to goal, which was collected easily by Gaye.

Matters went from bad to worse for Kenya in the 25th minute when Brighton winger Minteh won the ball back for Gambia deep in the midfield, possession that they utilised with a counterattack that caught Stars' defence napping as Minteh finished off Barrows’ cross for 2-0.

Gambia could have gone 3-0 up inside the opening 30 minutes when Adama Sidibeh beat Collins Sichenje with pace and power for a one-on-one battle with Bryne Omondi.

Instead of attempting a shot on goal, Sidibeh’s unselfish act to square the ball to a rushing Barrows from the far right of the goalkeeper proved a wrong decision as the rushing attacker sent the ball wide.

Minteh continued to terrorise the Kenyan defence with his pace from the right wing, beating Omar and Sichenje at ease and attempting numerous shots that were blocked.

Mistakes continued to haunt the hosts after another loose ball giveaway at the back saw Sidibeh win the ball before crossing into the box, a cross that Barrows volleyed homed past a stationary defender and goalkeeper for 3-0 after 38 minutes.

A late counterattack by Kenya went to waste after Abuya, free from the right wing, hit the ball hard past an open Olunga, with the hosts' hopes of getting a goal back dying off.

In the final half, McCarthy responded with two quick substitutions, bringing in Manzur Okwaro and Alpha Onyango in place of Odada and Ouma, while McKinstry brought in Joseph Ceesay in place of Muhammed Sanneh.

Another bright second-half start followed, Olunga attempting a long-range shot that went wide before Omar saw his dangerous cross blocked for a corner that Sylvester Owino won but was blocked again for a throw-in.

Onyango also almost pulled a goal back from the edge of the box, but his goal-bound shot was deflected out for a corner.

Abuiya had the ball inside the net in the 52nd minute, but again it was ruled out for offside with Lenkupae penalised before crossing the ball.

Another CHAN hero, Ryan Ogam, came off the bench to score Kenya’s equaliser in the 81st minute, nicking the ball past Gaye for 3-1.

Despite late pressure from Stars in an attempt to force a repeat of the first leg 3-3 draw, attempts to score proved futile as Gambia held on to win 3-1.