- Most Harambee Stars players, particularly the substitutes, performed well in their 3-3 draw with the Gambia.
- Harambee Stars forward Mohammed Bajaber posted a player of the match performance despite being introduced in the second half.
- Some of the other Harambee Stars players that had a good game include William Lenkupae and Jonah Ayunga.
Harambee Stars made a brilliant comeback on Thursday night, March 20, 2025 to pick up a well-deserved 3-3 draw against the Gambia in a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier match.
Despite going 2-0 down in the earlier stages of the second half, the Harambee Stars players fought until the end to snatch a vital point.
The Benni McCarthy coached side scored their goals via Captain Michael Olunga, Kenya Police forward Mohamed Bajaber and Australian based William Lenkupae while Musa Barrow and Yankuba Minteh were on the score sheet for the Gambia.
SportPesa Blog rates the performance of each of the Harambee Stars players who took part in the match that was staged at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium in Ivory Coast.
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Ian Otieno: 6/10
Ian Otieno had a good game for Harambee Stars between the sticks. Although he conceded a silly penalty in the first half of the encounter, the 31-year-old made a brilliant save to keep Kenya in the game.
In addition, Otieno also prevented Kenya from going 4-2 behind in the dying stages of the game when he saved Barrow’s spectacular strike.
Rooney Onyango: 5/10
Onyango had a decent match from the start. He linked well with the forwards and prevented the Gambia from scoring goals. It was his hard work to win the ball and pass it to Jonah Ayunga that led to Bajaber’s picture perfect goal.
Brian Mandela: 2/10
The experienced defender had an awful game in the centre of the Harambee Stars defence. Mandela was at fault for nearly all of the Gambia’s goals. First, he allowed Barrow to turn him inside out before netting the first goal. Mandela could have also done better to prevent Gambia from scoring the third goal.
Daniel Anyembe: 3/10
Besides Mandela, Daniel Anyembe also had a poor game in the Harambee Stars defence. The Danish based defender allowed Minteh a lot of space to score Gambia’s second goal. In short, there was not enough communication between him and Mandela.
Erick Ouma: 7/10
Ouma, who is popularly known as “Marcelo” by Kenyan football fans, had an average game. Although he managed to keep Minteh quiet in the first half, Ouma was caught off guard in the second half a couple of times, especially by Minteh.
Attack-wise, the former Gor Mahia player did a fair job. For instance, he assisted Bajaber’s second goal and it was his throw that led to Lenkupae’s stoppage time equalizer.
Ismael Gonzalez: 3/10
The Spanish based player had a game to forget. Gonzalez did very little to link the Harambee Stars’ midfield and defence, something that forced McCarthy to pull him out of the game at the start of the second half.
Richard Odada: 5/10
Similar to Gonzalez, Odada also did not do enough in the Harambee Stars midfield. He did not complete most of his passes and allowed the Gambian players to enjoy a lot of possession at the start of the second half.
John Avire: 4/10
Avire, who plays professional football in Egypt, was poor from the start of the game until he was substituted in the second half. The 28-year-old lost a lot of balls and offered very little going forward.
Eric Johana: 5/10
Although Johana played better than Odada and Gonzalez in Harambee Stars’ midfield in the first half, he did not meet the expectations that many people had on him. His under par performance led to his substitution in the second half.
Michael Olunga: 6/10
The Al-Duhail goal poacher had a quiet first half particularly due to the lack of deliveries into the Gambian penalty box. Olunga also had a golden opportunity to give Harambee Stars a 1-0 lead in the first half, but he headed a free header wide. However, he redeemed himself in the second half by scoring a penalty.
Mohammed Bajaber: 9/10
The Kenya Police FC attacker is SportPesa Blog’s player of the match. Bajaber, who replaced Avire in the second half, was a thorn in the flesh of the Gambian defenders. He was full of trickery, energetic and pacey. Furthermore, Bajaber scored a brilliant goal.
William Lenkupae: 8/10
Lenkupae scored a goal in his Harambee Stars debut. He also improved the Harambee Stars midfield when he was introduced in the second half.
William Lenkupae scored a last minute equalizer against Gambia.
He was arguably the second best player in the match behind Bajaber.
Jonah Ayunga: 7/10
Ayunga has always delivered when he has been called up to the Harambee Stars squad. He made a brilliant cameo in the second half by winning a penalty and setting up Bajaber for the second goal. Ayunga’s display could make McCarthy start him in the next match.
Duke Abuya: 6/10
Finally, Abuya played a crucial role when he was brought on in the second half. The Harambee Stars attacking midfielder changed the game completely and made some fantastic runs.
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