Kenya 0-0 Ethiopia (0-2 agg): Walya Antelopes send Harambee Stars packing at Nyayo

A lacklustre Kenya on Saturday drew 0-0 with Ethiopia in the return leg qualifier match of the 2016 African Nations Championship (Chan) at the Nyayo National Stadium to exit the race for a place in next year’s tournament.

The outcome saw Stars bow out on 2 -0 aggregate after losing by two unanswered goals in the first leg.

This was a must win match for the Bobby Williamson-coached charges, the stakes were high and for the boys, it was a chance to erase the not so rosy chapters of Kenyan football, but at the end of the day, everything ended badly.

Williamson tinkered with the starting 11 that was beaten 2-0 in Bahir Dir, Ethiopia a fortnight ago, handing starting berths to Edwin Wafula at right back, Dennis Odhiambo at left back and Ali Abondo in midfield, but at the end of the day, Abondo epitomised this frustration when he failed to convert a penalty in the 67th minute after he had been upended in the box.

Usually composed with such takes, Abondo was erratic, taking the penalty kick with a casual approach. His feeble attempt crashed on the wood work and Bobby was not pleased as much.

“It’s disappointing, we could not score penalties in both legs. Had we done so, we could have qualified. We never had any quality crosses in the box, which also worked against us,” The Scot said after the game.

His opposite number Yohannes Sahle was however pleased with the result.

“We had a game plan which we stuck too. It was a good game but I wasn’t pleased with the referee, he made several calls against us,” he said.