Coach Migne chases first win
What you need to know:
- Nicknamed Nzalang Nacional, the Equatorial Guinea side has traditionally been one of the lowest ranked teams in Africa, but the recent influx of Spanish-born players has strengthened it and they are no longer pushovers.
- The team is currently ranked 145th in the world, 34 places below Kenya. Equatorial Guinea finished fourth in the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations that they hosted.
Harambee Stars return to Machakos Monday afternoon seeking redemption as they face Equatorial Guinea in a friendly international match that kicks off at 3pm.
This will be the second international Kenya are playing under French coach Sebastien Migne following their embarrassing 1-0 loss to little Swaziland on Friday at the same venue.
Stars were felled by a goal from second half substitute Wonder Nhleko.
Losing to such a lowly ranked country in world football was a particularly bad splurge on Migne who was unveiled recently with so much promise.
That is why a win on Monday is highly important, as Migne seeks to correct his blemished image, and Stars look to prove that they can do the job against the Black Stars of Ghana in the high stakes Africa Cup of Nations qualifier scheduled for September.
To be fair to Migne he has been forced to play without his big guns. Regular captain Tottenham Hotspur’s midfielder Victor Wanyama opted out to recover from injury while Spain-based striker Michael Olunga excused himself to concentrate on club duty with La Liga side Girona.
Rookie striker Piston Mutamba gave a good account of himself when he came in as a second half substitute against Swaziland, and he may be called upon to start in attack.
In the absence of regulars Olunga, Jesse Were, Masoud Juma and John Makwatta, the 21-year-old forward is likely to lead Harambee Stars attack with help from Kariobangi Sharks’ Ovella Ochieng who started against Swaziland.
AFC Leopards’ holding midfielder Duncan Otieno and the lanky Humphrey Mieno who started from the bench against Swaziland could be handed starting roles.
“I feel sorry for my players, the federation and the fans who supported us on Friday and had to see us lose. I believe we shall do better against (Equatorial) Guinea. We tried to play football but after the first hour the boys were tired physically and we couldn’t attack. We need to play better and ensure that we are more ruthless inside the box, that way we shall be able to get results,” Migne said.
Nicknamed Nzalang Nacional, the Equatorial Guinea side has traditionally been one of the lowest ranked teams in Africa, but the recent influx of Spanish-born players has strengthened it and they are no longer pushovers.
The team is currently ranked 145th in the world, 34 places below Kenya. Equatorial Guinea finished fourth in the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations that they hosted.
