Junior Stars head coach William Muluya has challenged his young charges to regroup and correct the mistakes that proved costly in their semifinal defeat to Tanzania, as the team prepares to face hosts Ethiopia in the AFCON U17 CECAFA qualifiers third-place playoff on Tuesday.
Kenya fell 3–1 to Tanzania at the Abebe Bikila Stadium in a match that offered a direct ticket to next year’s Africa Cup of Nations finals.
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Tanzania, the pre-match favourites, took full advantage of Kenya’s lapses to book a final showdown with defending champions Uganda.
Coach Muluya, who also manages Kariobangi Sharks, reflecting on the loss, said the team must quickly learn from their errors, especially with Ethiopia having already beaten Kenya 1–0 in the group stage.
“We have to correct the mistakes. It is the final 90 minutes we have. Having lost the chance we had, we have to give everything for third place,” Muluya said.
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Muluya pointed to several key moments that tilted the match in Tanzania’s favour, including a missed penalty by Nicholas Achola in the 12th minute just moments before Tanzania struck the opener.
“We had an opportunity to score first, but we squandered a penalty. Immediately after, we failed to defend a set piece, and they scored. For me, it is failing to take an opportunity and failing to defend well,” he explained.
He added that the Stars were punished again after overcommitting on a corner that stemmed from a missed chance.
“We went to attack a corner, and again my defenders lost the ball, leaving us exposed once more.”
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Stars pulled one back with seven minutes to play, but Tanzania killed off the contest deep into stoppage time. Muluya said the late concession was a result of the risks taken while chasing the game.
“In the second half, we tried to come up stronger toward the end. When you’re chasing the game, you can concede again, you can easily concede five when chasing one goal.”
The coach also shed light on his tactical adjustments, particularly the substitutions in attack.
“We brought in midfielders to help contain their midfield, but we had to take out attackers who were worn out. They had all started, and they were the only options we had. There was nothing else we could have done,” he noted.
Kenya will now try to salvage a podium finish as they prepare for a rematch with hosts Ethiopia on Tuesday.
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