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Teddy Akumu and Alphonce Omija were some of the best performers as Harambee Stars held Ivory Coast to a draw.
Harambee Stars held reigning African champions Ivory Coast to a 0-0 draw in a match that took place at the Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe, Malawi on Tuesday.
It is a performance they can be proud of amidst all the off-the-pitch issues that had been surrounding camp the last couple of days, but they will also feel like that was a missed opportunity that went begging, considering they created the more clear-cut opportunities on the counter attack.
Here are our player ratings from that match:
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19:20 - 11.06.2024
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Patrick Matasi - 7
A marked improvement from the Burundi game for Patrick Matasi , where he was partly at fault for their unnecessary equaliser alongside Daniel Anyembe.
His distribution looked impressive and he was calm on the ball. His command of area was a bit shaky especially when they whipped in a couple of dangerous balls from corners and free kicks, but he can be proud of his performance.
Daniel Anyembe - 7
Like Matasi, Anyembe did well. Took a no-nonsense approach playing on the left of a back three. He cleared his danger area whenever possible unlike against Burundi, where he wanted everything to be neat.
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17:58 - 11.06.2024
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Alphonce Omija - 8
A performance Alphone Omija can be proud of. Put his body on the line playing as the central defender and dealt with everything that came his way well. Argurably the man of the match.
Johnstone Omurwa - 6
Solid performance on the right side of a back three by Johstone Omurwa. Was dribbled past a couple of times by Frank Kessie and Adingra when he moved to that flank, but it was not a bad performance.
Rooney Onyango -6
Rooney Onyango to get forward when he got the opportunity and was calm and collected. Alongside Erick Marcelo Ouma, he could become a key player in a back three in future, with Firat intent on switching to this formation at some point.
Aboud Omar -5
Aboud Omar did not venture further forward in situations that required him to, considering that he was playing as a wing back in possession and expected to offer width. He was disciplined folding into the back four out of possession, but it was not a memorable performance.
Teddy Akumu - 7
Arguably the best of the midfield three. Akumu protected his backline well. He anticipated situations superbly and won all balls his way.
Richard Odada - 5
Richard Odada Retained possession well and gave some good forward passes, but was not as evergreen as he tends to be.
Kenneth Muguna - 4
Muguna was forced into doing a lot of defensive work and did not express himself enough with the ball. Was rightly hooked off after the hour mark.
Timothy Ouma - 6
Playing as a center forward, Timothy Ouma held up the ball well in many situations and was brilliant resisting the pressure from several opposing players, but there are several moments where he made wrong decisions, such as holding on to the ball too long or failing to pick out passes at the right time.
Understandable for a player of his tender years.
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Michael Olunga - 5
Michael Olunga fed off scraps for much of the game, as he barely had a touch of the ball with the side sitting back and putting men behind the ball. Did create a couple of good opportunities for his teammates on the counter attack, and tested the goalkeeper a couple of times.
Duke Abuya - 6
Abuya impacted the game when he came on with his ball carrying and off the ball movement when he came on, and helped give Ivory Coast problems in counter-attacking situations.
Not a bad performance, but not a spectacular one either.
Chrispine Erambo- 5
Erambo was subbed on at a time when Kenya were on the up in counter-attacking situations which may have left many keen observers puzzled.
Fans would have expected an attacking substitution to take advantage, But Erambo was brought in with eight minutes to spare seemingly with instructions to shut-up shop. Standard 5.
Clyde Senaji -N/A
Was not on the pitch long enough to warrant a rating.
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