Stars coach Firat calls for disappointment as Cameroon lie in wait

Harambee Stars coach Engin Firat has urged his players to play better and reverse the heavy defeat his team suffered on Friday as Kenya take on Cameroon in the second leg of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifiers on Monday.

Kenya will host the Indomitable Lions at the Mandela National Stadium in Kampala behind closed doors from 4pm (Kenya time) today. The Stars suffered a heavy 4-1 defeat in the first leg at the 42,000-capacity Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium in Yaounde, Cameroon.

“We have to change the way we play. We have to be aggressive, even though my team wasn't used to playing in front of a crowd in Cameroon. “I hope for a positive result in this game,” said Firat.

The Group “J” match will be played behind closed doors.

The stars have been camping in Kampala since arriving in Uganda on Saturday following defeat to five-time African champions Cameroon on Friday and will all be looking to redeem themselves after the heavy defeat which provoked angry reactions from fans in Nairobi.

“In the second half we played better and in this game (today's game) we have to change our mistakes and defend better. We have to wake up and perform better,” the 54-year-old Turkish coach told journalists in Kampala yesterday.

In the first leg, Firat came under heavy criticism with regard to his squad selection. Notably, Firat substituted KCB goalkeeper Bryne Omondi for Patrick Matasi, which backfired as Matasi made costly errors in the game.

Omondi started in goal as Kenya played to a narrow draw against Zimbabwe in a Group J match on September 6 at the Mandela National Stadium, the venue for tonight's game.

On September 10, Omondi produced an outstanding performance as Kenya defeated Namibia 2-1 at the Orlando Stadium in Johannesburg.

Today fans will be curious to see whether Firat stays with Matasi or gives Omondi a starting place against Cameroon.

Cameroon dominated the midfield and attack, and Kenya will need to improve significantly if they want to keep up with the Indomitable Lions in both departments. Saudi Arabia-based Christian Bassogog, Carlos Balega and Martin Hongla combined well to run through the Kenyan midfield, passing the ball to perennial favorite Vincent Aboubakar, who fired powerful shots.

Kenyan Richard Odada was the main culprit in the first leg and will need to step up to dominate the Cameroonians, who were lethal in attack and dominated the midfield.

Firat can also choose to play Jonah Ayunga in attack along with captain Michael Olunga and Stars could take advantage of set pieces, which seemed to be a problem for Cameroon's defenders.

In the run-up to the game, the camp in Cameroon was divided. Coach Marc Marc Brys threatened to resign after the Cameroon Football Association (Fecafoot) omitted the name of his assistant Joachim Mununga from the official match report against Kenya.

“I am extremely angry. We had started working well with Fecafoot, but I was shocked to see that my assistant's name was missing from the official match commissioner's list. I was angry. Let me warn you, if this happens again, I will stop,” Brys said.

“My assistant stated categorically that this was a sign of disrespect towards him and threatened to resign. I have to discuss it with him. If it happens again I will leave the team,” Brys added.