This archive report was first published on 7 July 2019.
On July 1, 2019, Harambee Stars players posed for a group photo before the Africa Cup of Nations match against Senegal in Egypt. [Stafford Ondego]
Kenya's national football team Harambee Stars qualified for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt, but their performance was disappointing. After 270 minutes of high-octane football, the results and overall performance proved that the national team was not good enough.
The team's elimination was a case of broken promises, shattered dreams, and utter disappointment. This was not meant to happen, but it surely did.
When Harambee Stars defeated Ethiopia 3-0 last year to bag the coveted Afcon ticket, there was a lot of hope that they would make it to the knockout stages, at least. However, after the pooling was done and Stars landed Algeria, Senegal, and Tanzania in Group C, optimism built to higher levels.
But it never went according to plan. Kenya lost 2-0 to Algeria, defeated Tanzania 3-2, before soaking 3-0 against Senegal in their last group match. The national team finished with three points, but they were not enough to guarantee them a slot to play with the crème de la crème of the tournament.
According to goalkeeper Patrick Matasi, careless mistakes cost them. 'We would have made it to at least the second round but we made some mistakes and got punished,' he said.
Matasi also attributed their elimination to the inexperience of the team. 'We have learnt our lessons and now know what to do differently. It takes a lot of time and work to be at the same level as Algeria and Senegal,' he said.
Former Gor Mahia defender Musa Mohammed was forced to apologise for his performance against Senegal. 'It was my mistake. I did a wrong calculation and Sadio Mane beat me to the ball. I want to ask Kenyans to forgive me, because it’s part of the game and there is nothing I could have done after I lost possession,' he said.
