This archive report was first published on 17 December 2019.
On a day that will be etched in the memories of Kenyan football fans for a long time, Harambee Stars midfielder Kenneth Muguna struggled to find words to describe the team's worst defeat this year.
The Kenyan national team suffered a 4-1 thrashing at the hands of Eritrea in the first semi-final fixture of the Cecafa Senior Challenge Cup at the StarTimes Stadium in Kampala, Uganda, on Tuesday.
Published on December 17, 2019, the shocking outcome marked a dismal end to Kenya's title defense, which it had won in Nairobi under coach Paul Put in 2017.
According to Muguna, the team's performance was a mystery, as they found themselves trailing early on and despite fighting back, they ran out of luck and gas. 'To be honest, I just do not know what happened today. We found ourselves suddenly trailing and then fought back but ran out of luck and gas. Fair play to our opponents,' Muguna explained.
Pre-match warnings from Eritrea captain Robel Teklemichel proved prophetic as the Red Sea boys employed a fast-paced passing game, catching Kenya off guard. The Eritreans got off to a flying start, with Ulinzi Stars forward Oscar Wamalwa putting the ball in his own net to hand Eritrea the lead.
Abel Solomon made it 2-0 seven minutes after the break, before Wamalwa reduced the deficit to 2-1. However, Eritrea was far from done, with Micheal Habte Gebremesqel adding goal number three after 75 minutes, and Teklemichel hammering the final nail on Kenya's coffin.
Eritrea will now face either hosts Uganda or Tanzania in the final on Thursday, while Kenya awaits the loser of that game for a contest to determine which team finishes third and fourth in the tournament.
