As the clock at the Al- Janoub Stadium hit 90 and with three minutes of added time shown, it all looked like the first meeting between Kenya’s Harambee Stars and the hosts Qatar was headed for a 1-1 draw, only that there was going to be a mad ending.
A moment of aggressive pressing from the duo of Ayub Timbe and Eric Ouma sent skipper Michael Olunga free on the left side, and on his left foot, squeezed a delightful ball to second half substitute Amos Nondi to bury the winner for Kenya, as they turned the tables on the hosts to register a last gasp 2-1 victory in a tense Thursday evening contest.
There was the sight of a visibly ecstatic Engin Firat, who raced down his touchline with a majestic leap, fist pump and a yell, that was just maybe the silent action of a fairly packed stadium that enjoyed Kenyan support.
On the field however, was Olunga with his hands held high in an all familiar setting, all preceding the last moments of a victory that Kenya seemed to be in desperate need off.
New Stade de Reims signing Joseph Okumu had given Stars a deserved lead in the 20th minute when he turned in a Kenneth Muguna corner, only for Qatar to equalize shortly after from a Hassan Al Haydos penalty drawn form a Ouma tackle on Yousuf Abdurisag inside the box.
GAME RECAP.
For the first time in history, Kenya’s Harambee Stars were playing against Qatar and in a no venue better than the 44,325 seater capacity Al – Janoub Stadium that hosted the home side’s last major tournament not named the Gold Cup – World Cup.
For the first nine minutes, both sides looked to be sizing each other up under the lights, up until the hosts engineered the game’s first chance through Yousuf Abdelrazaq, who spun around the Kenyan defense only to draw his effort from the left channel.
Either way, the 24 year old was flagged offside, offering reprieve to the Stars backline that was employing a steady high line.
As if handed an early blow, the next minutes saw Firat’s men pull closer to their opponents – who had a couple remnants from their 2022 World Cup squad – spraying passes through space, and it was seemingly not going to take long for a move to bear fruit.