Emerging Stars skipper Rooney Onyango reckons they are ripe to tuck away the 2024 Cosafa Cup title in South Africa.
The technically proficient Gor Mahia FC fullback spoke after guiding his teammates to a landmark 2-0 victory over the highly-regarded Chipolopolo of Zambia at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Victoria on Thursday.
"We are not here to participate but to compete. There are several good teams in this tournament that we respect a lot. But we don't see what can stop us from beating them," Onyango remarked.
"We are ready to fight tooth and nail for a place in the semifinals. But right now our focus is on our next group matches which we expect to win," he added.
Kenya's incessant inroads paid off barely eight minutes from the whistle when Austine Odhiambo gladly stepped up to stab in a penalty after Patrick Otieno was sent tumbling in the area.
Otieno later latched onto Benson Omalla's assist to double the advantage a few minutes later. The outcome propelled Kenya to the summit of the Group B log with three points.
The coach Ken Odhiambo-tutored squad boasts a healthier goal difference compared to Zimbabwe who also secured a crucial 1-0 win over Comoros.
Kenya will face the Comoros in their next match at Wolfson Stadium on Sunday. Kenya received an invitation to feature in the 12-nation tournament as a guest following a last-minute withdrawal of Malawi.
A strong 23-member Kenyan contingent is in South Africa for the annual showpiece that started on Wednesday and ends on July 7.
Coach Odhiambo said the country deployed promising youth players to gather experience in the tournament where teams primarily enrolled players plying theiur trade in domestic leagues.
