Kenya will be aiming for their second consecutive victory at the COSAFA Cup when they face Comoros, with a spot in the semi-finals firmly within their grasp. The Emerging Stars of Kenya will look to take another step closer to the semi-finals when they clash with Comoros at the Isaac Wolfson Stadium in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, on Sunday.
Ken Odhiambo’s squad started their campaign on a high note with a 2-0 win against defending champions Zambia, and a victory against Comoros would significantly boost their chances of advancing.
Kenya showcased their prowess as they took an early lead through Austin Odhiambo, who calmly converted a penalty just eight minutes into the match. The lead was doubled soon after, thanks to Patrick Otieno, who capitalized on a defensive error to poke the ball past Zambia’s goalkeeper, Charles Kalumba.
Despite Zambia’s dominance in possession during the second half, they were unable to break through Kenya’s defense and create clear scoring opportunities.
This victory placed Kenya at the top of Group B with three points, level with Zimbabwe, who defeated Comoros 1-0 in their opening match. Only the top team in each of the three groups and the best second-placed team advance to the semi-finals, making every match critical and any slip-up costly.
Kenya must secure maximum points against Comoros to strengthen their position ahead of their final group game against Zimbabwe. The group remains tightly contested, as Zambia could turn the tables if they defeat Zimbabwe on Sunday and Kenya fails to secure a win.
Odhiambo revealed that the strategy against Zambia was to be aggressive and score early to control the game’s tempo in the second half, which they executed perfectly. “When we arrived, we recognized they were a strong side. Our goal was to deny them by not allowing them to pass in the passing lanes and to make sure they couldn’t bring in those crosses because they were trying to spread us wide,” he noted.
Kenya will need to replicate this performance against Comoros, who could surprise if underestimated. Odhiambo employed a 3-5-2 formation, which maximized the team’s strengths and highlighted the skills of players like Patrick Otieno, who won the penalty and scored the second goal.
It remains to be seen if Odhiambo will stick with the same tactical plan against Comoros, who are likely to sit back and allow Kenya to dominate possession while seeking to strike on the counter-attack.
