Resilient Emerging Stars face anxious wait on COSAFA Cup fate following victory over Zimbabwe

Kenya face an anxious wait on their fate in the 2024 COSAFA Cup after defeating Zimbabwe 2-0 in their final Group B game which was played at the Wolfson Stadium in Ibhayi, a township in South Africa’s Eastern Cape Province city of Port Elizabeth, on Tuesday afternoon. Emerging Stars will have to wait for results in the final Group C games to know if they will still play a part in the competition.

Second half goals from the Gor Mahia duo of Austin Odhiambo and Benson Omalla saw Kenya bounce back from the 2-0 defeat they suffered in the hands of Comoros in their second match of the tournament, a result which saw Kenya suffer a setback after defeating defending champions Zambia 2-0 in their opening match.

The win saw Zimbabwe, who had won their first two matches against Comoros (1-0) and Zambia (2-0), eliminated from the tournament. Comoros progressed to the semifinals as Group B leaders after trouncing Kenya and Zimbabwe on the three-way head-to-head record.

The three teams finished on six points hence prompting their results against Zambia to be put aside so that they can be ranked based on, first, goal difference, and second, goals scored.

That tie-breaking criteria ended up favouring Comoros who lost 1-0 to Zimbabwe before defeating Kenya 2-0 and Zambia 1-0. That saw them being ranked higher than Kenya and Zimbabwe on the basis of having a superior goal difference (+1) against Kenya’s zero (0) and Zimbabwe -1.

Kenya’s hopes of staying in the tournament now hinge on either Angola and Namibia not winning in their final Group C games against Lesotho and Seychelles respectively.

The 2024 COSAFA Cup features twelve teams divided into three groups of four. Group A has hosts South Africa, Botswana, Mozambique, and eSwatini.

Group C has Angola, last year's runner-up Lesotho, Namibia, and Seychelles.

The best team in each group qualifies automatically for the semifinals while the remaining slot will go to the best second-placed team.

Group A remains the most open as all teams are on two points after all four fixtures played in the group so far produced draws. No team in that group has a chance of being the best second-placed team as neither team can finish with more five points.

In Group C, Angola and Namibia are tied on four points and goal difference but Angola is ranked first on goals scored. Seychelles and Lesotho are also tied on one point and since they also have the goal difference, Seychelles is ranked higher on goals scored.

That being the case, either Angola or Namibia can qualify for the last four as the best second-placed team if they defeat Lesotho and Seychelles respectively. That will put both of them on seven points, a mark no other current second-placed team can reach.

It that permutation of Angola and Namibia qualifying for the semifinals with victory in their matches that had the Emerging Stars striving to win their match against Zimbabwe by at least three goals as it would have seen them qualify for the semifinals automatically but it was not to be.

Speaking after the match, the Emerging Stars coach Ken Odhiambo commended his players for adjusting to the windy conditions and following his game plan.

“We noticed that Zimbabwe struggled to defend high balls and from our goals, it is evident my players took advantage of that weakness,” Ken Odhiambo said.

Ken Odhiambo also credited the victory to the lads changing their attitude in the second half.

“In the first half, we were not communicating well and that led us to loss possession a lot because we were not talking. However, that changed in the second half and the result was positive,” Ken Odhiambo said before expressing satisfaction with how the Emerging Stars have performed in the tournament.

On his part, Austin Odhiambo hailed the team’s ability to adapt to the windy conditions and taking advantage of the wind’s direction in the second half to hurt their opponents.

“In the first half, we were playing against the wind so we struggled to complete our passes. However, in the second half, with the win behind us, we made use of it to play long balls into that box which we capitalized on,” Odhiambo said.

The win over Zimbabwe saw Kenya preserving its good record against Zimbabwe which has now improved to six wins, five draws, one loss, 14 goals scored, and seven goals conceded in 12 meetings.

Ken Odhiambo made three changes to the side that lost 2-0 to Comoros. Byrne Omondi kept his place in goal but in defence, Geoffrey Onyango returned to replace the suspended Paul Ochuoga to form a back four with Alphonse Omija, Sylvester Owino, and Amos Wanjala.

In midfield, Kaycie Odhiambo took the place of John Ochieng’ to form a three-man midfield with Chris Erambo and Austin Odhiambo.

In attack, Patrick Otieno made way for Hassan Beja to create a three-man front three with Ronney Onyango and Benson Omalla.

After a dull first half which saw few scoring opportunities, the Emerging Stars came to life in the second half with Austin Odhiambo, who was named man of the match, opening the scoring in the 54^th minute.

Odhiambo got rewarded for his patience after hovering in Zimbabwe’s box as Alphonse Omija and team captain Ronney Onyango contested for possession with Zimbabwean players on the right wing. That scramble for possession arose from Odhiambo spraying the ball wide then running into the box to wait for a cross.

When the cross finally came from Onyango, Odhiambo controlled it well; pushing the ball away from his marker as he set himself up to score with a right foot shot taken on the turn. His low shot saw the ball rolling past Zimbabwe goalkeeper Raphael Pitisi and nestled in his bottom right corner.

Odhiambo’s goal inspired Kenya and 19 minutes later Benson Omalla put the Emerging Stars 2-0 up after his persistence to chase a long ball from goalkeeper Byrne Omondi paid off. The Gor Mahia striker beat his marker to the ball and lifted it over Pitisi who was helpless in stopping the ball from rolling into his bottom right corner.

The goal saw Omalla somehow redeeming himself having missed easy chances against Comoros.

Despite pressing more aggressively for a third goal, it never came and now Kenya has to hope the final Group C matches go their way. Whatever the outcome in those matches, the Emerging Stars will leave South Africa will their heads held high for a positive outing.