This archive report was first published on 17 December 2019.
On December 17, 2019, Kenya's Harambee Stars suffered a crushing 4-1 defeat to Eritrea in the CECAFA Senior Challenge semis, marking the end of their title defense.
Despite a bright start to the campaign, winning all their group matches against Tanzania, Sudan, and Zanzibar, Francis Kimanzi's men were unable to overcome Eritrea's buoyant performance.
Kenya's hopes of retaining the CECAFA title were dealt a severe blow when Oscar Wamalwa scored an own goal in the 18th minute, giving Eritrea an early lead.
However, Kenya pulled one back through Wamalwa in the 54th minute, but Eritrea's Abel Solomon Okbay doubled their advantage in the 49th minute, and Michael Habte Gebremesqel restored their two-goal lead in the 66th minute.
Robel Kidane sealed the win for Eritrea in the 75th minute, sending Kenya crashing out of the tournament.
Kenya's CECAFA dreams were left in tatters as Eritrea advanced to the finals, where they will face the winner between Uganda and Tanzania.
