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Things learnt from Harambee Stars' battering at the hands of Cameroon in Yaounde that need addressing ahead of Monday's re-clash in Kampala
Harambee Stars suffered a bruising 4-1 defeat to Cameroon in their third Group J match of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers, played at Stade Ahmadou Ahidjo in Yaoundé on Friday night.
The loss marked coach Engin Firat’s heaviest defeat since Kenya’s 5-0 drubbing by Mali in 2021.
Captain Vincent Aboubakar’s early penalty set the tone for the Indomitable Lions before Martin Hongla, Bryan Mbeumo, and Christian Bassogog added to the tally. Kenya's only consolation came from a strike by captain Michael Olunga.
Here are the four major lessons from the match:
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10:30 - 12.10.2024
‘He has everything’ – Former Harambee Stars coach questions Engin Firat’s tactics after Cameroon hammering
The former Harambee Stars coach feels Engin Firat should play a more attacking style of football given the kind of resources he has at his disposal.
1. Patrick Matasi’s position under threat
Patrick Matasi had a nightmare of a performance in between the sticks on Friday night, and will have wished he had stayed on the bench the whole time after all.
Matasi was dropped against Zimbabwe and Namibia in September, with Byrne Omondi taking his place between the sticks, and he looked impressive in those two outings.
His calm and collected nature means he does not inject panic into his defenders, and his distribution, reflexes and shot-stopping are a thing of beauty. Matasi by contrast is the opposite. Although he is commendably vocal, he can tend to panic in big situations. You may say the whacking he received to his face from a Christian Bassogog shot may have affected him, but a keeper of his experience can do better.
He fumbled the ball into the back of the net for the second goal, and for the fourth goal, was comically out of position for the fourth goal that was practically walked into the net.
If he still keeps his place on Monday, it will be very surprising.
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06:00 - 12.10.2024
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2. Amos Nondi’s right back experiment fails to work
Amos Nondi was deployed at right back for the match, but it was a gamble that failed miserably, as he endured a torrid night facing Bassogog before being subbed off in at half time.
Nondi, a midfielder by trade, was constantly caught out of position, and all of Cameroon’s attacks stemmed from his flank.
He also made a clumsy challenge on Bassogog at some point in the first half which earned him a booking, which may explain why he had to be hooked off at the break to avoid a second booking.
It is highly unlikely he will start at right back on Monday.
21:40 - 11.10.2024
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3.Experienced players drop the ball
Most of the side’s experienced players let themselves down in Douala. Apart from Matasi’s horror night, Joseph Okumu you may argue could have done better to defend the fourth goal. Gave Bassogog too much time and space to get into the box and score.
Teddy Akumu naively tried to Zidane-turn in the midfield, leaving Cameroon to turnover possession and it led to that fourth goal. Duke Abuya looked like a rabbit in the headlights, although in his defence, he was deployed as a left winger.
The only players who can leave with their heads held high are Erick Marcelo Ouma and Michael Olunga, and speaking of the former:
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21:00 - 11.10.2024
Poor Harambee Stars crumble as Cameroon dominate in one-sided AFCON 2025 encounter
Harambee Stars looked out of sorts throughout the match as Cameroon cruised to a 4-1 win on Friday night, to give them an advantage ahead of the second leg encounter.
4. Erick Marcelo Ouma a rare bright spark in a dark night for Kenya
Erick Ouma enjoyed a fine night individually. He is the one who provided the assist for Kenya’s only goal of the night.
Although he handled the ball in the first half to give away a penalty, he kept Bryan Mbeumo ineffective for large periods of the game, although the Brentford forward did find the back of the net shortly after Kenya had reduced the deficit.
If he can keep playing as he did on the evening, it will give Kenya a better chance of producing a positive result.
As Kenya prepares for their Monday rematch, Firat will need to address these glaring issues, particularly in defense and player positioning, if they hope to stay in contention for AFCON 2025 qualification.
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