South Africa's legendary player Benni McCarthy achieved his first victory as the head coach of the Kenya national team, Harambee Stars, with a hard-fought 2-1 triumph over Chad in an international friendly held at Stade de Marrakech in Morocco on Tuesday.

Kenya took the initiative in the 18th minute when debutant striker Emmanuel Osoro scored, followed by David Sakwa extending the lead to 2-0 in the 45th minute. Chad managed to reduce the deficit when Ali Mahamat Adam netted a goal in the 60th minute, but this was insufficient to prevent McCarthy from securing his first win as coach of Harambee Stars in four matches.

In pursuit of his inaugural victory with the team, the former Bafana Bafana striker implemented nine changes to the starting lineup that had previously drawn 0-0 against the same opponent on Saturday. Bandari FC goalkeeper Farouk Shikalo replaced Brian Bwire, while Siraj Mohammed, Sylvester Owino, Swaleh Pamba, and Lewis Bandi formed the defensive line tasked with neutralizing Chad's strikers.

In the midfield, the technical pairing of Alpha Onyango and Austin Odhiambo were given starting positions, supported by William Lenkupae, who was retained from the previous lineup, alongside the adaptable Ben Omondi.

Up front, Sakwa and Osoro rounded out the attacking formation. Similar to their first encounter, Kenya began the match with vigor, and within just five minutes, they missed an opportunity to take the lead when Lenkupae set up Osoro, the FC Talanta forward, who failed to find the target with the goal at his disposal.

Harambee Stars continued to seek the opening goal, and in the ninth minute, Osoro linked up effectively with Lenkupae before passing to Sakwa, but the latter hesitated, allowing Chad goalkeeper Jourdain Mbaynassem to come off his line and clear the threat.

However, rather than looping the ball over Mbaynassem, Wilson chose to attempt a sneak between his legs, but the goalkeeper successfully pushed it out for a corner that yielded no results.

5 Things We Learned from Harambee Stars’ Win Over Chad as Benni McCarthy Registers First Victory

It did not take long for Kenya to extend their lead, with Osoro becoming the provider. A play initiated by Austin Odhiambo found Osoro on the left wing, where he sprinted to the corner before delivering a low pass that the advancing Sakwa struck with a one-time right-footed shot past Mbaynassem.

That marked the last significant opportunity of the half as the half-time whistle sounded, leaving Harambee Stars with a 2-0 advantage.

Chad returned from the break with two substitutions, as Damba and Haroun Tchaouna were replaced by Youssouf Abdraman and Madoua Tchiva. Meanwhile, Kenya's coach McCarthy also made two changes, introducing Beja Nyamawi for goalscorer Sakwa and Brian Musa Katibi for Alpha Onyango. Chad appeared to be the stronger side as they pressured Kenya in their own half during the early exchanges. They earned a free-kick from the right wing, which Tchiva took, but Shikhalo came out to clear the threat.

Chad narrowed the gap in the 60th minute following a defensive error by the East African team, which allowed Ali Mahamat Adam to slip in from behind and direct his header past Shikhalo after a looping pass from Ahmat Youssouf. Despite Chad's persistent efforts to equalize, Harambee Stars held firm defensively, with Shikhalo making two additional saves in the final moments to secure a well-deserved victory under McCarthy's leadership.

This victory marked Harambee Stars' first win in six matches across all competitions. The last time Kenya emerged victorious was on January 7th, 2025, when they achieved a 2-0 friendly win against their neighbors Tanzania at Gombani Stadium.

In the lead-up, Kenya required two second-half goals from Boniface Muchiri and Ryam Ogam to clinch the match. Kenya's next challenge was another friendly, where they ended in a 1-1 draw against Burkina Faso at Gombani Stadium.

Kenya subsequently redirected its attention to the qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, where they played to a 3-3 draw against Gambia in their matchday five Group F encounter, followed by a 2-1 defeat at home to Gabon. They then competed against Chad in a match that concluded with a 0-0 stalemate on Saturday, June 7th.