- The Kenya vs Senegal international friendly match was played on Tuesday, November 18.
- The game was staged at Turkey’s Mardan Stadium.
- Former Liverpool player Sadio Mane scored a hattrick in the 8-0 rout.
Harambee Stars closed their 2025 international calendar on a disappointing note after suffering a crushing 8–0 defeat to Senegal in a friendly match played at the Mardan Sports Complex in Antalya, Turkey.
Both sides came into the match looking to recover from losses in their previous friendlies, with Kenya having fallen 1–0 to Equatorial Guinea on Friday while Senegal were smarting from a 2–0 defeat to Brazil.
Coach Benni McCarthy used the fixture to hand opportunities to new faces as Zamalek defender Baron Ochieng’ made his senior debut on the right side of defence, while Gor Mahia’s Bryton Onyona also earned his first cap in the left back position.
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Kenya vs Senegal report
Brian Bwire started in goal in place of Byrne Omondi, and midfielders Austine Odhiambo and Teddy Akumu were handed starting roles after missing the previous match.
However, the reshuffled squad struggled right from kickoff. Senegal came out with far more intensity and immediately pinned Kenya back. Within the first five minutes, they forced two corners, signalling the trouble that was about to unfold.
The Lions of Teranga opened the scoring in the ninth minute. Chelsea forward Nicholas Jackson, currently on loan at German Giants Bayern Munich, cut in from the left flank and fired in from a tight angle to beat Bwire.
Just three minutes later, Kenya made a costly error at the back when Sylvester Owino was dispossessed inside his own box after a poor pass from Bwire, gifting El Hadji Malick Diouf an easy tap-in for Senegal’s second.
Things deteriorated quickly. In the 14th minute, Jackson bagged his brace after latching onto a long pass and calmly slotting past the onrushing Bwire.
Three minutes later, Sadio Mané was allowed too much space in midfield and punished Kenya with a powerful drive from the halfway line before smashing the ball into the near post for Senegal’s fourth.
The situation worsened on the half-hour mark when Ochieng’ conceded a penalty that Mané converted. The Al Nassr forward added another in the 35th minute, reacting fastest when Bwire’s punch from his initial shot fell kindly back into his path.
At halftime, the scoreboard read 6–0, and Kenya could only hope to stop the bleeding.
Kenya vs Senegal match heaviest defeat for Benni McCarthy
But the second half offered no relief. Just three minutes after the restart, Ibrahim Mbaye scored Senegal’s seventh with a composed finish.
Kenya struggled to regain any structure, and in the 80th minute, Owino conceded his second penalty of the game with a mistimed challenge. Cherif Ndiaye stepped up and sent Bwire the wrong way to complete Senegal’s 8–0 rout.
The final whistle confirmed what is now Benni McCarthy’s heaviest defeat as a coach, and one of the most lopsided losses Kenya has suffered in decades though still not surpassing the historic 13–2 defeat to Ghana in 1965 at Jamhuri Park.
The match marked Kenya’s final outing of the year. Their next engagement will come in March 2026 during the next international break, giving the technical bench time to regroup and address the glaring defensive issues exposed in Turkey.