A football match can go either way and sometimes, a loss can end up being a positive result in a case when the margin was respectable.
Harambee Stars have however had some embarrassing defeats in Kenya's soccer history. Team Kenya takes you down the memory lane and revisits some of these heavy losses that left the national team limping.
Mali 5-0 Harambee Stars
Most recently, Harambee Stars lost 5-0 in the hands of ruthless Mali in a FIFA World Cup qualifier. The match was played in October 2021. Lethal Mali forward Ibrahima Kone hit a hat trick in between goals by Adama Traore and Moussa Doumbia on a soggy night in Agadir.
The loss was followed by an uproar from across the country as fans questioned how Kenya would lose by such a huge margin despite the abundance in talent and resources.
FKF President Nick Mwendwa, in an interview, blamed the defeat on lack of quality players in the team, remarks that were met with criticism.
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Harambee Stars 1-4 Eritrea
Under the tutelage of coach Francis Kimanzi, Harambee Stars lost heavily to a lowly Eritrea side in the semi-final of the 2019 CECAFA senior championships in Uganda.
Allegations of match-fixing flew around in the aftermath of the heavy loss to Cranes.
Stars however bounced back in the third-place playoff, beating Taifa Stars of Tanzania 2-1.
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India 3-0 Kenya
Just months after Kenya had appointed Frenchman Sébastien Migné to head the national team, he would lead the team to a loss to India in June 2018.
This was in the final of the Hero Intercontinental Cup in India, where Harambee Stars had been invited as a guest.
Kenyan fans were at pains with how the Harambee Stars had lost to India, which they perceived as an underdog in football, despite them being ranked higher than Kenya by FIFA.
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Egypt 1-5 Kenya
In January 2011, under the tutelage of Zedekiah Otieno, Kenya lost 5-1 to Egypt at the Petro Port Stadium.
This was in an invitational friendly match. Kenya’s consolation goal was scored by Kevin “Ade” Omondi.
Kuwait 5-0 Kenya
Yet another painful five-fold defeat was a 5-0 thrashing to Kuwait in an international friendly played in Egypt in November 2009. The match was a build-up to Kenya’s 2010 World Cup/Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
Kenya’s squad was largely comprised of local-based players, with only Allan Wanga, Patrick Osiako and Austin Makacha being the only foreign-based players.
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