After Harambee Stars managed a 5-0 win over Seychelles in a 2026 World Cup qualifying match, head coach Engin Firat has dismissed claims that they saw off an easy opponent on Monday, November 20, 2023, in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.

Kenya managed to dispatch the Islanders emphatically, even though they had been beaten 2-1 by Gabon in their opening Group F game.

After the huge win, some critics claimed that Harambee Stars were only able to see off Seychelles because they were an easy rival, but Firat disagrees.

“To those who think Seychelles is so simple, I will remind them that the team closed some doors against teams like South Africa and so on, so therefore, I am sure some teams will leave with all points against Seychelles,” Firat said.

Kenya had to play the two opening qualifiers without a number of top stars, including Daniel Anyembe, Brian Mandela, Bryne Odhiambo, and Joseph Okumu.

To Firat, a loss during such a time does not mean that the quality of the team dropped.

“Everybody who knows a little bit about football knows if goalkeepers, right backs, left backs, and three central defenders are missing, it is not only that the quality is going down; these players have never played together.

“I am saying it now. If we had gotten all the players, we would now have six points. This is the reality, and I do not care what other people are saying. I only care about what the boys are doing and how they think.

“It is very difficult for them to pass together, to know whether to stay, whatever. It has everything to do with working together to get to know each other,” the coach explained.

The Turkish tactician pointed out what Harambee Stars biggest undoing was in the game against Gabon and even in the previous friendlies.

“You saw in the match against Gabon, especially like we have done before, especially against Russia and Qatar, that we had problems opening up the game, which is quite normal,” he concluded.

Currently, Kenya are third on the table, with Ivory Coast and Gabon leading after a flawless campaign in their opening games.