Harambee Stars fought back from a goal down twice to pick up a valuable away point against South Africa’s Bafana Bafana following a 2-2 draw in their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier at Orlando Stadium on Friday night.
Goals from Michael Olunga and Ryan Ogam on either side of the half ensured Benni McCarthy’s charges came away with a share of the spoils after twice falling behind.
Kenya started on the front foot and could have taken the lead just a minute into the match when Job Ochieng’ dribbled past his marker before delivering a cross with his weaker left foot. Adam Wilson met the delivery with an acrobatic effort that forced South African goalkeeper Ronwen Williams into a save for a corner.
The hosts responded in the fifth minute, with Apollis delivering a perfectly weighted ball into the danger area. Byrne Odhiambo scrambled to deal with the delivery before it fell to Moremi, who skied his effort from close range.
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The opening goal, however, arrived in the ninth minute following a costly defensive error.An attempt to play the ball out from the back by Frank Odhiambo saw Amos Wanjala take a heavy touch under pressure from Apollis and Mofokeng. His attempted back pass to goalkeeper Byrne Odhiambo was too heavy and ended up in the net for an unfortunate own goal, handing South Africa the lead.
Bafana Bafana continued to apply pressure, with Kenya’s goalkeeper Byrne Odhiambo repeatedly called into action to deny several attempts on target from Mofokeng, Moremi and Apollis, including dangerous one-on-one situations.
Kenya, however, found their equaliser at the stroke of halftime. Adam Wilson swung in a free-kick towards the far post, where Frank Odhiambo rose to meet the delivery with a header that struck Matuludi’s arm, prompting the referee to award a penalty.
Harambee Stars captain Michael Olunga stepped up and made no mistake, firing past Williams to level the scores at 1-1 in the 44th minute.The goal took Olunga’s international tally to 35, drawing him level with William ‘Chege’ Ouma as Kenya’s all-time leading goalscorer.
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Bafana Bafana emerged from the break with renewed intensity and continued to push forward in search of another goal.The hosts eventually regained their advantage with 15 minutes of regular time remaining following a swift attacking transition.
Apollis initiated the move, finding Mofokeng, who played a clever ball towards Lyle Foster. The striker headed it back into Mofokeng’s path, allowing the youngster to stroke the ball past Byrne to make it 2-1 in the 77th minute.
Kenya, however, had another response in them.Their second equaliser arrived towards the end of regulation time following another transition. Mofokeng had initiated a slick attacking move, but Frank Odhiambo cleared the danger, sending the ball away from the pitch.
Second-half substitute Ryan Ogam then took centre stage, wrestling past Makanya before firing past Williams with his stronger left foot in the 89th minute to restore parity at 2-2.
The result marks an encouraging response from Benni McCarthy’s side, who had gone into the contest looking to secure their first victory over South Africa in senior international football.
The draw takes Kenya to two points from three matches in Group D, while South Africa move to seven points after dropping their first points of the qualifying campaign.
Harambee Stars will now turn their attention to the return fixture against Bafana Bafana, scheduled for Tuesday, November 17, at Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi, where McCarthy’s men will have another opportunity to build on an encouraging performance against the South Africans.
SOUTH AFRICA – STARTING XI Ronwen Williams (GK) (C),Thabang Matuludi,Ime Okon,Olwethu Makhanya,Sphephelo ‘Yaya’ Sithole,Teboho Mokoena,Aubrey Modiba,Tshepang Moremi,Relebohile Mofokeng,Oswin Appollis,Iqraam Rayners
Harambee Stars Starting Lineup: Byrne OmondiRooney Onyango,AbudOmar,Amos Wanjala,Frank Odhiambo ,Sylvester Owino ,Alwyn Tera,William Lenkupae
Adam Wilson,Michael Olunga,Job Ochieng’