By Kimberly Kalusi
Kenya’s Harambee Stars suffered a humbling 3–0 defeat to Ivory Coast in their World Cup qualifier on Monday night in Abidjan, as the hosts displayed superior pace, precision, and tactical discipline.
The Elephants, led by captain Franck Kessié, dominated from start to finish, leaving Kenya chasing shadows for much of the match. Despite early flashes from Michael Olunga and Timothy Ouma, the Stars failed to capitalize on rare attacking chances, while defensive lapses proved costly once again.
Ivory Coast opened the scoring in the 17th minute when Sébastien Haller powered home a header from a corner that exposed poor marking in the Kenyan backline. The second came midway through the first half, a thunderous strike from Nicolas Pépé after a swift counterattack left goalkeeper Patrick Matasi stranded.
Kenya tried to regroup after the break, with coach Engin Firat introducing Duke Abuya and Eric Johanna to inject creativity, but Ivory Coast remained in control. A late penalty converted by Kessié in the 78th minute sealed the victory, confirming the Elephants’ dominance and leaving Kenya rooted near the bottom of their qualifying group.
“We gave away easy goals and couldn’t match their tempo,” admitted Firat after the game. “We must learn from this and improve our concentration.”
The result reignites questions over Kenya’s consistency on the continental stage, especially after a promising start to their qualification campaign earlier this year.
