• The ongoing player transfer messed my plans as I lost Nyakeya, Faruk and Kahata who would have made a difference in the match. It was difficult to prepare for the matches in the past two weeks with the dents created— Sebastien Migne.
• Kenya succumbed 4-1 to their neighbours on post match penalties after settling for a barren draw within regulation time.
Harambee Stars coach Sebastien Migne believes the unavailability of four of his players was to blame for their defeat to Tanzania in the 2020 Africa Nations Championships qualifiers yesterday.
Kenya succumbed 4-1 to their neighbours on post match penalties after settling for a barren draw within regulation time at the Moi Stadium, Kasarani.
The hosts had poor conversion skills which saw their quest to advance to the final qualification round, where Sudan is lurking, hit a snag. The two sides had drawn 0-0 in the first leg encounter held at the National Stadium, Dar es Salaam a week ago.
Migne regretted the unavailability of Francis Kahata, Cliff Nyakeya, Faruk Shikalo who were part of the team named before the Africa Cup of Nations but landed greener pastures abroad, leaving the tactician scratching his head for replacements. He also rued on the absence of Allan Wanga, who hanged his boots.
Nyakeya, who initially plied his trade with Mathare United, signed for Al Masr of Egypt while Kahata decamped to Tanzanian champions Simba with Faruk heading the other way to Tanzania's former and record champions Yanga.
“The ongoing player transfer messed my plans as I lost Nyakeya, Faruk and Kahata who would have made a difference in the match. It was difficult to prepare for the matches in the past two weeks with the dents created but the boys did their best,” said Migne.
“A few showed me they deserve a place in the senior team but overall, we lacked maturity. Preparing for the match without money is not an excuse for the loss.”
Meanwhile, Tanzanian coach Etienne Ndairajige lauded his team for their displays and urged to focus on their next match against Sudan. He refuted claims that his was a revenge mission after Tanzania fell 3-2 to Kenya at the Africa Cup of Nations last month.
“Kenya played well and looked organised. We pushed them and I am happy we won. We were not looking for revenge at all,” he said.
“We start preparations immediately for the next match against Sudan.”