A Late Ogam Strike Saves Kenya’s Blushes
Harambee Stars clawed back a 1-1 draw against Eritrea in their AFCON 2027 qualifier at home on Saturday, with Ryan Ogam’s 85th-minute strike rescuing a point that, frankly, Kenya had no business nearly throwing away. The result spared the team from a humiliating home defeat, but it did nothing to silence a crowd that had already made its frustration loud and clear.
Kenya started the match with urgency, pressing forward and looking to impose themselves early. But urgency without execution is just noise — and that is exactly what it was. Eritrea, far from intimidated, threaded passes through the Harambee Stars midfield with a composure that had no right to belong to a side expected to be outclassed. The visitors looked dangerous on the counter from the first whistle.
Ryan Ogam had Kenya’s clearest chance of the first half in the 11th minute, running onto a through ball and pulling off a brilliant feint to beat his marker — only for 19-year-old Eritrean goalkeeper Jonathan Sultan to parry the effort away. A teenager in goal was keeping Kenya honest. That should have been a warning sign.
Eritrea Punish Kenyan Sloppiness
The warning went unheeded. A defensive lapse in the 37th minute gifted Eritrea the opening they needed, and Nahom Netabay punished Kenya without hesitation, sending a low effort past Byrne Omondi to hand the visitors a 1-0 lead. The goal was preventable. It was careless. And the home crowd knew it.
Harambee Stars walked into the tunnel at half-time to a chorus of boos — a damning verdict from supporters who had come expecting to witness a dominant performance in a qualifier Kenya should be controlling. The travelling Eritrean fans, meanwhile, celebrated like they had already won something. In that moment, they had.
The second half opened at a frantic pace, with both sides attacking with greater intent. Kenya leaned heavily on corners and set pieces, a sign that their open-play creativity had run dry. Eritrea kept exploiting the wings on the counter, and for long stretches, it felt like Kenya’s equaliser was not coming.
Substitutes Change the Narrative
Coach Engin Firat turned to his bench in the 63rd minute, introducing Ben Stanley and Stanley Wilson for Job Ochieng and Timothy Ouma — a double change that gradually shifted the energy in Kenya’s favour. Mohamed Bajaber, brought on for Manzur, came agonisingly close in the 75th minute, weaving through Eritrea’s defence only for Sultan to parry again. The goalkeeper was having a night.
Shariff Musa and Amos Wanjala entered the fray in the 77th minute, and Musa immediately stretched the Eritrean backline with repeated runs behind their fullback, exposing a defence that had looked impenetrable for most of the match. Kenya’s pressure was building, and the stadium could feel it.
The breakthrough finally arrived in the 85th minute. Ben Stanley delivered a low cross into the danger area, and Ogam reacted fastest, turning the ball home to send the home supporters into wild celebrations. One moment of clinical instinct from a substitute, and Kenya had salvaged something from the wreckage of their own making.
A Point That Feels Like a Loss
Kenya pushed desperately for a winner in the closing minutes, with Bajaber again pulling strings in the build-up. Shariff Musa was presented with a golden opportunity following a dangerous cross from Bajaber, but he lifted his effort over the bar when composure was everything. The final whistle confirmed the 1-1 stalemate.
One point. At home. Against Eritrea. Harambee Stars avoided defeat, but the manner of this performance raises serious questions about what this squad is capable of delivering in a qualifying campaign that demands far more. The attacking struggles were glaring, the defensive lapse was inexcusable, and the fact that it took an 85th-minute strike to rescue the situation tells you everything you need to know about where Kenya currently stands.
Kenyan football fans are not stupid. They see through the relief of a late equaliser. They know a near-disaster when they witness one.
