AFCON 2027Q: Ogam’s late strike spares Harambee Stars embarrassment in Eritrea draw

Ryan Ogam came to the rescue late to spare Harambee Stars an embarrassing 2027 Africa Cup of Nations Qualifiers defeat at the hands of Eritrea, as both sides settled for a 1-1 draw on Saturday afternoon at a vibrant Nyayo Stadium.

A 37th-minute strike by Nahom Netabay had put the Red Sea Camels on course for three points, but an 87th-minute equalizer from Ogam rescued Harambee Stars in front of their home supporters.

The result means Kenya’s wait for a first win over the Red Sea Camels continues, with their last victory coming 23 years ago when they edged Eritrea 3-2 in Kassala, Sudan, during the 2003 CECAFA Senior Challenge Cup.

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Kenya signaled their intent immediately after kickoff as Job Ochieng made an explosive run down the left wing and sent a dangerous cross into the area, requiring goalkeeper Yonathan Sultan to react quickly and parry the ball away.

Harambee Stars earned their first clear-cut chance in the 10th minute when Ogam was played through on goal, wrong-footing Simon Tekie before driving a low shot straight into Sultan’s arms.

As the hosts pressed forward, referee Mohamed Athoumani issued the game’s first booking to Kenya’s Rooney Onyango for a tactical foul on Netabay.

Shortly after, Eritrea were forced into an early substitution in the 22nd minute when Jemal Ali picked up an injury and was replaced by Yosief Misgina.

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Despite Kenya’s early momentum, the visitors broke the deadlock in the 37th minute when an attempt by Mansur Okwaro to play out from the back was intercepted by Netabay, who pounced on the loose ball and struck a clinical left-footed finish past Byrne Omondi.

Kenya had a golden opportunity to equalize a minute before the end of regular time in the first half when Micah Obiero sprinted down the right flank and squared a precise pass to Ogam, but the forward unexpectedly directed his close-range effort wide, leaving the hosts trailing 1-0 at the break.

Eritrea emerged from the interval with intent and nearly doubled their lead early in the second half as Netabay unleashed a ferocious long-range shot that Omondi reacted well to parry to safety.

Kenya responded through set-pieces, with Abud Omar whipping in a dangerous cross from a free kick, but Ogam’s resultant effort could only find the side-netting as time began to run out for the hosts.

Benni McCarthy’s side poured bodies forward in search of a late winner. Substitutes Mohammed Bajaber and Shariff Musa both broke through the Eritrean backline in quick succession during stoppage time, but Sultan stood firm on both occasions.

With seconds remaining, Abud sent a long ball over the top to find Duke Abuya one-on-one, but Sultan once again produced a heroic save to ensure both sides shared the spoils.

The pivotal moment arrived in the 87th minute when Ben Stanley Omondi made a sharp run wide down the flank before teeing up Ogam, who tapped home into an empty net to level the score and redeem his earlier miss.

Kenya will be hoping to prepare to bounce back when traveling to West Africa to face Guinea in Matchweek 2. Eritrea, meanwhile, will look to build on their strong opening performance when they take on South Africa in their second Group D fixture.