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Harambee Stars put in a spirted performance but could not make their chances count, losing 1-0 to Cameroon in the return leg in Kampala on Monday.
Harambee Stars head coach Engin Firat has explained what his charges have to do if they are to stand a chance of sealing qualification to the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations following their narrow 1-0 loss to Cameroon in Kampala, Uganda on Monday evening.
The clash saw Cameroon secure their place in next year’s tournament in Morocco thanks to substitute Boris Enow Takang’s decisive strike, to rub more salt into an already sore wound after they had battered them 4-1 in Yaounde on Friday.
This result leaves Kenya in third place on four points, four behind second placed side Zimbabwe who beat Namibia both home and away during the window.
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Speaking after the match, Firat admitted at being “dissapointed” not to have gotten a result despite his side showing a more spirited fight against the Indomitable Lions, a clash where their wastefulness in front of goal came back to bite them.
“After the first match, what we wanted to show everybody that we can play football was what we have done today,” Firat told the media after the match.
“I think we had more than enough goal chances. But that's football. They had this free kick which they succeeded very well. In the last half hour, you can easily say that Cameroon only played one time, nothing else.
“But football is one thing, it's a result game and nobody gives you a point for good football. Therefore, it's very disappointing for the players and us if we don't have anything in our hands after this effort.”
Firat now believes that his charges must beat both Namibia and Zimbabwe in November to stand a chance of sealing qualification to the tournament, where he has already made it clear the plan is not only to qualify, but also make the knockout rounds.
“I think the last two matches we have to go directly to win. We cannot take anything for granted from our side. Because you know in this group, I said it will take until the last minute to the last match," he added.
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Firat has admitted at being shocked by Namibia’s disappointing display so far during the qualifiers, which has seen them lose all four of their matches, and it now means they have been ruled out of qualifying with two games to spare.
“And what we didn't expect is that Namibia will lose all the matches. They were in January at AFCON and they went to the next round," said Firat.
“Therefore, this is a little bit surprising. So we will see what will happen so that we know what exactly we have to do. Of course, the situation, our plans was not to come out without any point against Cameroon. And this made everything more complicated.”
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