National U23 forward Benson Omala is over the moon after ending his search for his first goal this year at the competitive level. The youngster had endured a lengthy goal drought since netting his last during last year’s CECAFA U20 championships held at the Sheikh Amri Abeid Memorial Stadium, Arusha were he netted twice against Ethiopia and Sudan.However, he broke the spell after rising from the bench to find the back of the net as Emerging Stars cruised to a 3-0 win over Djibouti in the opening pool C of the U23 tournament currently running in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia.🎥Djibouti 0: 3🇰🇪 pic.twitter.com/BDSynze6Ta— Harambee Stars (@Harambee__Stars) July 18, 2021 The forward who has a couple of Harambee Stars call ups under his belt joined Gor Mahia in September last year but did not enjoy regular playing time owing to the competition from the duo of Jules Ulimwengu and Tito Okello as well as his commitment to finish his secondary school studies.Omala joined Swedish side FC Linkoping City in April after writing his exams at the Kisumu Day in April but according to him, the third tier club tried to modify him into a full back, a position he was uncomfortable with.“It feels good to be back on the scoring sheet after a very long time. I had missed scoring goals at the competitive level,” he said moments after the Djibouti duel.With Stars scheduled to play South Sudan in their final group stage game, the former Western Stima player is optimistic of reaching the five goal target set before the tournament kicked off.Here’s our #EmergingStars’ starting lineup against Djibouti 👇Keep dropping your predictions🔗 https://t.co/h6urnJEbCO#CECAFAU23 pic.twitter.com/FVNRRA4CW4— Harambee Stars (@Harambee__Stars) July 18, 2021 The burly forward has not shied away from highlighting his dream of claiming the golden boot and helping Stars win the title.“The pressure of scoring my first goal this year is now off my shoulders. I just want to keep on scoring and help the team to win the cup. Last year, I netted two goals in the U20 tournament, and I will be hoping to score at least five in Ethiopia,” he added.##EDITORS_CHOICE##
