Harambee Stars head coach Benni McCarthy remained upbeat despite Kenya suffering a 2-1 loss to Gabon in a FIFA World Cup qualifier.The South African, overseeing only his second game as Kenya’s coach, saw his side fall to a brace from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Kenya managed a consolation goal through captain Michael Olunga, marking his 32nd goal for the national team. This milestone leaves Olunga just four goals shy of breaking William Ouma’s all-time scoring record for the country.##NAJAVA_MECA_8801626##This defeat significantly dented Kenya’s chances of qualifying for the World Cup, with only four matches left to play. For Kenya to have any hope of automatic qualification, they must win all their remaining games while relying on the leading teams to falter—a scenario that appears highly unlikely.However, McCarthy remained defiant in the face of the setback, expressing satisfaction with the team’s performance. He highlighted the fact that they had only three training sessions before the match yet the team managed to put up a commendable display, which he believes should worry their future opponents.”If a team plays like that and they trained only three times, then you should be scared. You should be fearing what is coming,” McCarthy confidently stated.WPL Weekend Wrap: Kibera Soccer extends gap at the top as Trinity Starlets woes continueDuring the game, Olunga missed several chances before netting the second-half goal that ultimately served as a mere consolation. Despite the criticism aimed at his captain, McCarthy, a former striker himself, was quick to defend him.”It is football. He was just unfortunate against Gabon. It happens; I was a striker, and I used to miss a lot of chances,” McCarthy remarked.Though the defeat dealt a heavy blow to Kenya’s World Cup aspirations, McCarthy remains hopeful, clinging to the slim mathematical possibility of qualification.Olunga’s message to fans as Kenya falls in World Cup clash, nears scoring record”We want to continue winning matches, and you never know. Maybe mathematically, there might still be a glimmer of hope when people sit with calculators as we play Cote d’Ivoire. Maybe we can find ourselves in that situation,” he added.Kenya will return to action in September with matches against Gambia and Seychelles, both at home.Harambee Stars midfielder reveals why he chose Kenya over Australia
