Harambee Stars' 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualification campaign started with a barren draw against the Warriors of Zimbabwe in a Group 'J' opener at Mandela National Stadium, Namboole, Uganda.
Skipper Michael Olunga's absence was largely felt as the uninspired attacking force proved blunt, failing to ransack the opponent's territory for the better part of the match played before a handful of fans.
However, head coach Engin Firat is convinced his charges played to the script and deserve a pat on the back for scrapping a point from the evenly contested match.
"We didn't expect much coming into this match, especially without our main striker in the lineup. I'm satisfied with the players' courage in the game," Firat said.
"We can put our house in order before our return fixture. Fortunately, we've faced off with Zimbabwe several times and have the conviction we can beat them in our next match," he added.
Stars head to South Africa to flex muscles with Namibia's Brave Warriors on Tuesday. The Turkish gaffer believes they will register an improved performance in the crucial fixture.
“I wouldn't want to hoist our hopes so much but there is a huge possibility we could perform much better against Namibia. We are going back to the drawing board straight away to address all the weak areas we observed in our game against Zimbabwe," Firat said.
"Namibia are a good team with an impressive record in the recent past. We've done a lot of research about them and feel we've gathered adequate information to contain them in the away match," he added.
Zimbabwe head coach Michael Nees hailed Kenya's performance but quickly noted that his charges proved better in the tie and deserved to have beaten their East African opponents.
"There is a perception we played a weakened Kenyan team plagued by injuries but then, only a couple of key players were absent. I don't think their presence could have transformed the game much in their favour. But they were worthy opponents," Nees remarked.
"This is an open group and any of the teams stand an equal chance to qualify even though we all seem underdogs compared to Cameroon. Football is a game of surprises and no one can be so sure until the full-time whistle is blown."
