A poor display in the second half saw Kenya capitulate against Gabon and concede a 2-1 defeat in a World Cup qualifier on Thursday, November 16, 2023.

Harambee Stars were in good form in the first half and grabbed the lead courtesy of Masoud Juma’s goal, but could not replicate the form in the second half as the Central Africans mounted a comeback to win.

Meanwhile, there was an early scare for Harambee Stars when Patrick Matasi looked to have suffered a serious injury in the fourth minute when he went to clear a dangerous ball. The Police FC goalkeeper was treated and allowed to return to action.

Kenya survive

Matasi was called to quick action in the 15th minute when he had to clear a dangerous cross by Guelor Kanga, who delivered a powerful low cross into the Kenyan penalty box.

The home side kept fighting, and at the half-hour mark, Johann Obiang almost caused mayhem in the Kenyan penalty box with a clever shot. However, Gabon, who were the more attacking side, suffered an injury blow when they lost goalkeeper Junior Noubi.

Kenya mounted their first noticeable attack when Michael Olunga engineered an ambitious counterattack in the 34th minute. The Al Duhail SC striker attempted to catch the Gabon goalkeeper off his line, but the shot flew wide.

Harambee Stars scored when Juma managed to collect a pass from Amos Nondi and slotted into the net in the 40th minute.

When the second half started, Gabon almost claimed an equalizer, but Anthony Oyono could not make it 1-1 as Johnstone Omurwa managed to clear his low cross in the 51st minute.

Matasi was finally beaten when Denis Bounga found the back of the net, and that was a deserved equalizer for the home side, who had been quite ambitious since the second half began.

The Central Africans scored late in the second half to claim a critical 2-1 win. Kanga was the scorer of the third goal of the match that broke Kenya’s hearts in Franceville.

Kenya will play Seychelles in the next qualifier set to be hosted in Ivory Coast.

Monday, November 20 WCQ

Djibouti v Guinea Bissau (Group A) | 1500 | Cairo, Egypt

Liberia v Equatorial Guinea (Group H) | 1600 | Paynesville, Liberia

Seychelles v Kenya (Group F) | 1900 | Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire

The Gambia v Côte d’Ivoire (Group F) | 1900 | Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania

Mali v Central African Republic (Group I) | 1900 | Bamako, Mali

Chad v Madagascar (Group I) | 2000 | Oujda, Morocco