Football
Exclusive: Harambee Stars Confident of Sealing AFCON Ticket Following Impressive Start
Harambee Stars are confident of securing a spot at AFCON 2025 after earning four points in the first two qualifiers. Defender Sylvester Owino and coach Engin Firat share their optimism and strategies for facing Cameroon in the upcoming double-header.
Image Credits: Mozzart Sport
Harambee Stars placed themselves in prime position to punch a ticket to the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) after bagging four points in the opening two matches of the qualifiers.
Stars kicked off the hunt for a ticket to Morocco with a barren draw against Zimbabwe on Friday last week at Mandela Stadium in Namboole, Uganda.
The team defied all manner of odds stacked against them to beat Namibia 2-1 in a match played at Orlando Stadium in South Africa.
The four points were enough to send Stars to the summit of group J with four points, a tally similar to that of five-time champions Cameroon.
With Stars set to return in action in October for a double clash against Cameroon, there is optimism that the team will pick up more points and inch closer to sealing a return to the AFCON.
Owino confident of Stars sailing through
Fast-rising defender Sylvester OwinYo is confident that the team will book a return ticket to the AFCON following the impressive start.
Owino, who made his Stars debut against Zimbabwe, casts his hope on the determination of the team to play in the 2025 finals in Morocco.
Stars have missed the previous two editions, in Cameroon and Ivory Coast, with the team watching the latest edition from home due to the FIFA suspension that barred them from playing the qualifiers.
We have a realistic chance of qualifying for the AFCON. Everyone in the team is determined to qualify after missing the last two editions. If we build on the good start, we will make it to Morocco.
Slyvester Owino
Six more points are enough
With four matches remaining in the qualifier roster, Owino believes that six points out of the possible 12 points will take the team to Morocco.
Previously, teams have been heavily relying on the strategy of winning all home matches and securing a draw or victory in foreign territory to qualify.
However, Owino says two more wins might just be enough to seal the deal early and give Kenyans something to celebrate about.
"If you look at the numbers, ten points have always been enough. This means, if we get two more wins, we might get the ticket," he said.
Cameroon are beatable
Renowned Cameroonian and Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana, in an interview after their match against Zimbabwe, identified Kenya as the country with the capacity to upset them in the group.
Considering the quality and experience in their squad, the Indomitable Lions are deemed clear favourites to top the group.
Out of the four teams in the pool, only Cameroon have CAF-approved stadia and thus, will be enjoying support in home matches.
Despite all these, Owino is confident that Kenya will get points against the five-time champions. Kenya's home match will be hosted at Namboole according to sources.
"African Football has changed as there no longer exists underdogs. We will confront them with confidence and get at least three points. The next round of qualifiers is very important," said the former Kakamega Homeboyz defender.
Coach Firat bullish ahead of Cameroon encounter
The win over Namibia appears to have ignited the team’s desire to qualify for the AFCON as coach Engin Firat is promising to cause Cameroon all sorts of trouble.
Initially, Kenya would not have dared to dream of beating Cameroon, but the Turkish coach warned them to prepare for gruelling encounters.
“Do you think Kenya is an easy team? Cameroon should think about how they want to crack Kenya, we are not afraid of Cameroon, you saw the boys, how they played before against Ivory Coast, against Russia against Qatar,” he said.
The unity in the playing unit gives Firat hopes of a good outing in the next international window.
“If you have the boys together, the boys are very united and they believe in each other, we are on our way, let us face the reality of what the boys have done this year, they are unbeaten this year, they have won a Cup (Four-Nation tournament) outside Kenya, we have scored 10 goals from the last six matches, we had never won in Namibia but we have won now,” he added.
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