Emerging Stars head coach Ken Odhiambo has revealed the strategy that he deployed in the team’s 2-0 win in the opening match of the COSAFA Cup.Kenya beat Zambia 2-0 at the 46,000-seater Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium to go on top of Group B, boosting chances of reaching the knockout stage with a match to spare. Gor Mahia’s Austin Odhiambo and Posta Rangers’ forward Patrick Otieno were on target for Kenya in the first half.##NAJAVA_MECA_8185369##Speaking after the match, Odhiambo highlighted the strategy used to beat the defending champions who were favourites before kick-off.“In the first half, we realized that their fullbacks were overlapping, leaving spaces behind them. We knew that if we could get the ball behind them faster, we could hurt them and it worked out for us,” he said.Harambee Stars stun defending champions Zambia in COSAFA Cup debutWith two goals already heading to halftime, the tactics had to change as the objectives in the match obviously changed. The team had to focus more on defending and Odhiambo had kind words for his central defense partnership of Sylvester Owino and Amos Wanjala.“In the second half, we knew they would come at us and so we decided to sit back and hit them on the counter. We did not do so well on the counter but our defense stood tall. The central defenders came have transitioned to the under-23 well, ” he stated.Four Kenyan Clubs Licensed for 2024/25 CAF Interclub CompetitionsFurther, Odhiambo also took time to appreciate the Zambian team and their coach on how they set up for the match and style of play“I was impressed with the way Zambia played. They were done but still you could see the way they were passing the ball and the overlapping runs. Their head coach has done a good job,” added the former Sofapaka coach.Kenya will be back in action on Sunday when they take on the Comoros in their second match.
