Benni McCarthy explains why he thinks Harambee Stars overachieved in his first two games

Harambee Stars coach Benni McCarthy embraces midfielder William Lenkupae after he scored a late equalizer against Gambia. Photo/FKF Media.

Benni McCarthy explains why he thinks Harambee Stars overachieved in his first two games

Joel Omotto 06:31 - 08.04.2025

Harambee Stars coach Benni McCarthy has given reasons why he feels his team already overachieved in his first two games despite failing to win any of them.

Harambee Stars coach Benni McCarthy may have been in Kenya for just one month and taken charge of two matches but he feels his team has overachieved.

McCarthy was unveiled as Harambee Stars coach on March 3 and took charge of his first match 17 days later, when Kenya came from behind twice to draw 3-3 against The Gambia, before a 2-1 home loss against Gabon, both in 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

Having had just a few training sessions, McCarthy’s team wowed fans with their forward-thinking approach as they took on their opponents bravely and it is this mentality that makes the South African tactician feel his team did more than he expected, giving him confidence of building a team that opponents will not like to play against.

“We already overachieved in such a short time because Gambia was a very tough team, very organised team,” McCarthy told NTV on Monday night.

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Why does Benni McCarthy feel Kenya overachieved?

Benni McCarthy Harambee Stars coach.
Benni McCarthy instructs his Harambee Stars players during Kenya vs Gabon match at Nyayo Stadium. Photo/FKF Media

“They play very offensive football and they have been together longer than we have been together so their understanding as a team is much better than what we had coming into the Kenya national team because we only had two days together, three training sessions and then we had to play a team that is far more structured and organised than we were.

“I thought the team was exceptionally brave, the talent came through but the discipline, hard work, desire and determination that you saw and we were like okay, if we have to manage a team, this is the kind of team we want to manage because they showcase all those things that you look for when you look for perfection.”

The former Manchester United attacking coach says his team were made to pay for their mistakes against The Gambia but is confident that they will get it right when he has a good understanding of them and enough training sessions to get his message across.

“Against Gabon, we travelled back from Ivory Coast so you miss already one day of having the team together and you have one training session to play at home in such an incredible environment because the welcome we received was beautiful,” he added.

Harambee Stars coach promises near-perfect team

Benni McCarthy shares a word with teenage defender Manzur Suleiman Okwaro (L) following Harambee Stars' clash against Gabon

“I have been at Old Trafford and seen what Man United-Liverpool is like. I have seen many incredible things and when you come to Africa and see what we saw when we played Gabon, that was special, heart-warming and heartfelt but we were up against a team that is on the verge of qualifying for the World Cup.

“They brought all their superstars to beat Kenya and we were unfortunate we did not take the chances that we created because we created a lot of chances where we could have won the game easily and mistakes cost us the opening goal then you are on the backfoot.

“So, over the two games I thought the players were brave and played with a lot of courage, heart and desire and there was a lot to learn from us and a lot of improvement which in the next game, we will be nearly perfect,” promised the tactician.

McCarthy and his team will be targeting to impress on home soil during the 2024 African Nations Championships (CHAN) which Kenya will co-host alongside neighbours Uganda and Tanzania as that is the next major tournament lined up for them.