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Harambee Stars head coach Engin Firat has said the national team is on the right track under his stewardship.

This comes after Harambee Stars picked two points from a possible six in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers held in Lilongwe, Malawi. After being frustrated by Burundi on June 7, 2024, for a 1-1 draw, the Stars managed to hold the reigning African champions, Ivory Coast, to a 0-0 draw.

Firat said he is proud of his players, who mostly play in the Football Kenya Federation Premier League, after keeping the Elephants at bay.

“We played mostly with local players against those competing at the highest level. If you look around, I am proud of the boys because, in the last six months, we played against the current Asian champions, Qatar, and won.

“We also nearly won against the former European champions, Russia. Against the current African champions, we deserved to win,” Firat told the press.

The former Moldova coach insisted that his side deserved a win, given how dominant they were.

“We had several chances, and Ivory Coast had only one opportunity. The rest were on our side. Sometimes it comes down to luck or a lack of quality.”

“As I said, we should have won against Burundi, and today’s win against Ivory Coast would have put us in a different situation. But we have a team that is on a growth path. Our big aim is AFCON 2027 at home. Therefore, I think we are on a good path,” he added.

Omija praised

One of the shining players for Harambee Stars was Alphonce Omija, and Firat lauded the star.

“I am the one who discovered him, and I am the one who trusted him to play. That’s what I do every time. I have no problem letting anyone play.

“I trust these boys, and I don’t care if it’s a European champion or an African champion. He did his job as I wanted,” the coach added.

After the back-to-back qualifiers, Kenya are third with five points, while Ivory Coast lead the group with 10.

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