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Harambee Stars U20 coach Salim Babu expressed satisfaction with the challenge posed by Tusker Youth FC in their recent friendly match.

The Stars U20 emerged victorious with a 2-1 scoreline, courtesy of goals from Christopher Koloti and Syphas Owuor in each half, while Tusker Youth’s lone goal was netted by Joseph Kirantu in the second period.

Harambee Stars U20 goal

Stars U20 took the lead midway through the first half, with Koloti nodding in a corner delivered by Ezekiel Omuri.

Despite Tusker’s offensive efforts in the second half, they squandered several opportunities and failed to equalize.

Owuor extended the lead for the Kenyan junior side with a well-taken shot from the right during a counterattack.

However, Tusker Youth displayed resilience and managed to pull one back through Kirantu’s skillful finish fifteen minutes before the final whistle.

Reflecting on the match, Babu acknowledged that the encounter provided valuable testing for his team, helping them to toughen up for upcoming fixtures.

He praised Tusker as a well-coached team, commending their physicality and overall performance.

“They gave us a really good game. They are a good team, well coached and really physically present. That is the kind of opposition we wanted because that is the exact kind of opposition we would come up against. We needed the boys to toughen up a bit and the Tusker Youth team gave us that kind of a challenge,” Babu told Tusker media.

Harambee Stars U20 worth

Tusker Youth assistant coach Peter Kariuki was also delighted with the performance of the team, saying they showed their worth against a worthy opponent, the national team, with players practically within their age group.

“It was such a good exposure for these young boys because they really need it. They have picked their lessons, they have also shown what we can do and we are really satisfied with what they gave today,” Kariuki said.

“We started a bit shaky probably because of a bit of stage fright but once we got into the game, we had a good performance. We have also picked areas we need to improve on as a team and that is really the essence of such friendly matches.”