Harambee Stars midfielder Richard Odada scored a vital goal for Aalborg against Sonderjyske in a Second Division match that ended in a one-all draw in Denmark on Friday, September 15, 2023.

The match was destined for a goalless draw in the first half, but Peter Christiansen scored in the added minutes to give Sonderjyske the lead going into the break.

Odada’s goal

Odada found the back of the net in the 52nd minute to ensure they shared points in the second-tier encounter.

The Harambee Star scored the goal that saw the spoils shared in what was his second start for the Danish side.

The game was expected to be tough given that Aalborg and Sonderjyske are key rivals in the chase of a promotion ticket.

Odada’s side has 21 points, while their rivals have 18, after both have played nine matches.

Meanwhile, Johnstone Omurwa only played for the first half as his side, Estrela Amadora, were defeated 1-0 by Porto in a Primeira Liga encounter.

Omurwa has established himself as a key figure for the Portuguese side but did not last past the first half during the defeat against the giants.

After the game, Estrela Amadora manager Sergio Vieira explained why Omurwa was substituted.

“So that is what will happen in the case of Johnstone, who has some fantastic characteristics in individual terms.

“But he should have gone up faster, and I saw that when they gave that space for the ball to go in there for the first goal, Gaspar himself too, and the two of them,” Vieira said after the match.

Harambee Stars’ duties

The coach acknowledged the long flights the players took back to their clubs after engaging in international duties during the FIFA break.

Both Odada and Omurwa played against Qatar, but the latter was released earlier and was not part of the Harambee Stars team that lost 1-0 to South Sudan in Nairobi.

“They arrived from international duty; they traveled for 15 to 16 or 20 hours, and it is normal that mentally they were not in the right place to make 100 percent the right decisions, and Porto took advantage of that.”

Finally, Daniel Anyembe played full minutes as his side, Viborg, held Midtjylland to a 2-2 draw in the Danish top tier.

Anyembe was also part of the Engin Firat squad that took part in the friendlies during the just-concluded September international break.