This archive report was first published on 4 August 2019.
Kenya's hopes of participating in the 2020 Africa Nations Championship (Chan) in Cameroon were dashed on Sunday after the team lost 4-1 in a penalty shootout to Tanzania's Taifa Stars at the Moi International Sports Centre in Kasarani.
The match, which was a repeat of the first leg played at the National Stadium in Dar es Salaam a week ago, ended goalless after 180 minutes of play.
Kenya's French coach Sebastian Migne is under pressure following the team's failure to qualify for the tournament for the fifth time.
Kenya's captain Dennis Odhiambo expressed disappointment with the result, citing the team's inability to score a goal in 180 minutes as the main problem.
"We are disappointed with this result," Odhiambo said. "Things didn't work out and we failed to score a goal in 180 minutes. That's where the problem is."
Kenya's failure to qualify for the tournament is a repeat of the situation two years ago when the government failed to build stadiums required to host the tournament, leading to the Confederation of African Football taking away the hosting rights and handing them to Morocco.
On the other hand, Tanzania's Taifa Stars have now eliminated Kenya in the championship for the second time, with the game being anything but exciting.
Kenya's players were enjoying their end-of-season break, which may have contributed to the disjointed affair that the game turned into.
However, Tanzania were slightly the better team in the first 15 minutes, with John Bocco having a sniff at Kenya's goal but failing to trouble Kenyan goalie Jeff Oyemba.
Kenya's defender Philemon Otieno was stretched off after a collision and replaced by Ibrahim Shambi, while the hosts won a free kick at the edge of the area that was blasted wide by Clifton Miheso.
Despite the efforts of the Kariobangi Sharks duo of Sydney Lokale and Duke Abuya, they failed to trouble Tanzania's goalkeeper Juma Kaseja in the opening half an hour.
Kenya's players huddled together for a moment before the start of the second stanza, but the team failed to capitalize on the opportunity.
Substitute Enos Ochieng, making his first competitive international debut, handled the ball in the box when he was through on goal, but failed to score.
Kenya's failure to qualify for the tournament is a setback for the team and its coach Sebastian Migne.
