Harambee Stars bow out of Russia World Cup race
Harambee Stars team before their 2018 Fifa World Cup qualifier match against Blue Sharks team from Cape Verde at Nyayo Stadium on November 13, 2015. Stars went down 2-0 to Cape Verde in the second leg of their preliminary match in Praia on Tuesday night. PHOTO | MARTIN MUKANGU | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- Fatigue caught up with Bobby Williamson's charges, who had arrived in Praia just three hours to the match.
- This allowed Heldon to score the opener at the stroke of half-time to give the hosts a deserved lead.
- The hosts held on to sail through to the group stages, where the top teams will represent the continent at the global football bonanza in Russia.
Kenya bowed out of contention for a place in the 2018 Fifa World Cup after going down 2-0 to Cape Verde in the second leg of their preliminary match in Praia on Tuesday night.
Goal poacher Heldon Ramos struck twice within nine minutes for the Atlantic Ocean islanders to ensure they sail through to the group stages on a 2-1 aggregate.
Harambee Stars, who were carrying a 1-0 advantage going into this match, employed a defensive formation throughout the match with the hosts all out in attack.
However, fatigue caught up with Bobby Williamson's charges, who had arrived in Praia just three hours to the match, and allowed Heldon to score the opener at the stroke of half-time to give the hosts a deserved lead.
Heldon, who alongside Cape Verde captain Soures had tormented Stars all night, grabbed his second goal of the match just seven minutes after the breather, prompting Williamson to introduce Jesse Were and Jacob Keli for Clifton Miheso and Kevin Kimani respectively in search of the away goal that would have handed Stars a lifeline in the tie.
The hosts held on to sail through to the group stages, where the top teams will represent the continent at the global football bonanza in Russia.
