Harambee Stars head coach Engin Firat expressed his pride in his players after they held African champions Ivory Coast to a goalless draw at Bingu National Stadium in Malawi.The draw made Kenya the only team in Group F to stop the Elephants in the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers.Ahead of the game, the team coached by Emery Fae had secured three wins by defeating Seychelles, Burundi, and Gabon. However, they could not replicate that form against Kenya, and Firat could not hide his pride, stating that the Stars deserved to win.“We played mostly with local players against those competing at the highest level. If you look around, I am proud of the boys because, in the last six months, we played against the current Asian champions Qatar and won. We also nearly won against the former European champions, Russia. Against the current African champions, we deserved to win,” said Firat.##NAJAVA_MECA_8154687##He continued, “We had several chances, and Ivory Coast had only one opportunity. The rest were on our side. Sometimes it comes down to luck or a lack of quality.”The Turkish coach further noted that securing maximum points against Burundi and Ivory Coast could have placed Kenya in a strong position for the global showpiece.However, he emphasized that Kenya has a growing team ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations Tournament in 2027, which will be held in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania.“As I said, we should have won against Burundi, and today’s win against Ivory Coast would have put us in a different situation. But we have a team that is on the growth path. Our big aim is AFCON 2027 at home. Therefore, I think we are on a good path.“I know everybody expected us to lose easily, but you see that even if the boys play in lower leagues if they unite as a team and follow our tactical approach, we had a high chance to win,” he added.PLAYER RATINGS: Olunga fires blanks as Harambee Stars hold African Champions Ivory CoastRegarding Alphonce Omija’s performance, Firat said, “I am the one who discovered him, and I am the one who trusted him to play. That’s what I do every time. I have no problem letting anyone play. I trust these boys, and I don’t care if it’s a European champion or an African champion. He did his job as I wanted.”With the June FIFA World Cup qualifiers concluded, Kenya will return to action in March against Gambia, managed by former Gor Mahia head coach Jonathan McKinstry.2026WCQ: Harambee Stars hold African champions Ivory Coast to goalless draw
