Kenya’s national football team were painfully denied a win in their opening game of the 2025 Mapinduzi Cup on Saturday evening. Harambee Stars played out to a one-all draw against Burkina Faso at the Gombani Stadium in Zanzibar. James Kinyanjui poses with his Man of the Match award after the Kenya vs Burkina Faso game on January 4, 2025. Credit, @Harambee_Stars.
Kenya vs Burkina Faso match report Francis Kimanzi’s side were on the cusp of victory before Aboubakar Traore’s glancing header in the 90th minute forced them to settle for a point. Kenya had gone ahead just before halftime after a Boniface Muchiri freekick took a deflection before falling to James Kinyajui, who slotted it home. READ ALSO Jowie Irungu’s ex-lover Eleanor Musangi shows off her new mzungu man: “Love lives here” Kenyans react to Burkina Faso’s controversial goal Traore’s equaliser left a bitter taste in many fans’ mouths, with replays showing he was in an offside position as the ball came in.
His position wasn’t spotted by the assistant referee on the far right, and with no VAR assistance at the tournament, the goal was given. @Eric_Njiru said, “A clear offside. The linesman is right there but didn’t call it.” @sBrezar said, “Clear offside poor officiating.” Nyar Awasi opined, “Captain and keeper could have done much better despite the small margin offside.” Francis Kimanzi reacts after Burkina Faso draw Speaking after the game, Kimanzi, who is serving in an interim capacity, was satisfied with the performance despite the last-minute equaliser. “The first game is always difficult because the players are not fully settled, but I believe they handled it well until the last minute. There were positives that we will build on as we progress.”
What next for Harambee Stars? Kenya will next play Tanzania on Tuesday before wrapping up their league campaign against Zanzibar on Friday. Zanzibar beat Tanzania 1-0 in the other group game. The tournament has only four teams after late withdrawals from Burundi and Uganda. When is CHAN 2024? The Mapinduzi Cup, originally meant for top clubs against East Africa, was changed this year to allow national teams to prepare for CHAN. Kenya is expected to co-host the rescheduled tournament for local players alongside Tanzania and Uganda.
The tournament is slated for February 1 until February 28. Former Manchester United coach set to be appointed Harambee Stars boss TUKO.co.ke had earlier reported that Benni McCarthy is set to be appointed the new Harambee Stars coach. The South African is said to have impressed in the interviews led by Football Kenya Federation Deputy President McDonald Mariga. The UEFA Champions League winner with Porto recently served as the forwards coach at Manchester United under Erik ten Hag. He is credited with Marcus Rashfor’s good form after the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
by Martin Moses
