•After the Mali ties, Firat asked Kenyan fans to be patient with the team and promised some better results in their upcoming fixtures against Uganda and Rwanda.
•Following the loss, any slim hopes the hosts had nursed of advancing to the next stage went up in flames.
Image: FKF
Harambee Stars head coach Engin Firat has named a strong 27-man squad for the upcoming 2022 Fifa World Cup Qualifiers against Uganda and Rwanda.
Firat has handed debut call ups to the duo of Belgium based Wilkins Ochieng and Nairobi City Stars’ Timothy Ouma. Michael Mutinda, Philemon Otieno, Anthony Akumu and Eric Johanna make a return to the Stars fold.
Stars are scheduled to kick off residential training in Nairobi on November 6. The team play Uganda at St. Mary’s Stadium, Kitende on November 11 and against Rwanda at the Nyayo Stadium on November 15.
Kenya's remaining encounters against Uganda in Kampala and Rwanda in Nairobi have now been thinned out to a formality.
That notwithstanding, Firat believes his charges have gathered a lot of positives from their last two consecutive losses to Mali which they could use to destroy their opponents in their remaining fixtures.
After the Mali ties, Firat asked Kenyan fans to be patient with the team and promised some better results in their upcoming fixtures against Uganda and Rwanda.
“There was a marked improvement in Nairobi compared to what we witnessed in Morocco against Mali. We managed to string together some complete passes and the attacking force looked much sharper,” said Firat.
“It's a learning process and we have borrowed some vital lessons that will prove vital in our remaining two matches against Rwanda and Uganda," he added.
After bagging a hat-trick in their 5-0 demolition of Kenya in Morocco, Ibrahim Kone's ghost came back to haunt Harambee Stars again at Nyayo Stadium.
Following the loss, any slim hopes Kenya had nursed of advancing to the next stage went up in flames.
Mali remain at the apex of the Group 'E' log with 10 points. Uganda are second in the group after stunning Rwanda 1-0 in Kigali.
Full Squad:
Goalkeepers; Ian Otieno (Zesco, Zambia), Brian Bwire (Tusker), James Saruni (Ulinzi ), Gad Mathews (Gor).
Defenders; Stanley Okumu (KAA Gent, Belgium), Abud Omar (AEL Larissa, Greece), Eric Ouma (AIK, Sweden), Bolton Omwenga (Kagera Sugar, Tanzania), Eugene Asike (Tusker), Johnstone Omurwa (Wazito), Philemon Otieno (Gor Mahia).
Midfielders; Amos Nondi (Dilagori, Georgia), Richard Odada (Redstar Belgrade, Serbia), Anthony Wambani(Vasalunds, Sweden), Kenneth Muguna (Azam, Tanzania), Alwyn Tera (FC Ararat, Armenia), Anthony Akumu (Kaizer Chiefs, South Africa), Wilkins Ochieng (Club Brugge), Michael Mutinda(KCB), Duke Abuya (Kenya Police), Timothy Ouma (Nairobi City Stars), Eric Johanna Omondi(Jonkopings, Sweden), Boniface Muchiri (Tusker) and Abdallah Hassan (Bandari)
Forwards; Michael Olunga (Al Duhail, Qatar), Masud Juma (Difaâ Hassani El Jadidi, Morocco), IsmaelDunga (Sagan Tosu, Japan)