Benni McCarthy Frustrated After Kenya Fails to Beat 177th Ranked Chad

Benni McCarthy has voiced his frustration after his Kenya side failed to secure a victory against 177th FIFA-ranked Chad this past weekend. The match ended in a goalless draw, leaving the Harambee Stars coach visibly disappointed with the outcome.

Saturday marked McCarthy’s third match in charge of the Kenyan national team. Having faced strong opponents in Gambia and Gabon during the FIFA World Cup qualifiers, McCarthy was hoping to notch his first win at the helm against a side ranked significantly lower than his team. However, despite dominating much of the game in Marrakesh, Kenya could not find the back of the net.

Speaking to FKF Media after the match, McCarthy did not hide his frustration. “It’s our first match together for most of these players so you could see there is still a bit, we need to understand each other better but when you dominate a match like this, then you have to be very disappointed that you did not win or did not score goals,” he said.

McCarthy highlighted the tactical approach of Chad, who defended deep and compactly, forcing Kenya to work harder to create clear opportunities. “It was so easy for us to play, they sat back very low, defended the middle of the pitch and then we are just not patient enough and the biggest disappointment is the fact that we didn’t score because we had so many opportunities,” he added.

The former Manchester United assistant coach refrained from blaming the referee for a missed penalty call, instead focusing on his team’s inability to convert their dominance into goals. “I don’t want to say the referee didn’t give that penalty, the game was so far beyond them, it was so easy for us to not blame the referee because we were that dominant and then you don’t take your chances, don’t score the goals you expect and don’t create enough to win by more than two or three goals.”

Looking ahead to the return fixture against Chad later this week, McCarthy stressed the need for improvement in several key areas. “It is something for us to go back and work on. We did not lose the match but for me, the fact that you don’t win a match like this is so destroying,” he said.

He also urged his players to adopt a more clinical and aggressive approach in front of goal. “The biggest learning curve is to be a little bit more clinical, aggressive in front of goal and to play a little bit more with intensity because I think at times, especially when they went one player down, a lot of our players stopped, thinking that we are playing in the Kenyan league.”

“This is international level so you have to maintain the intensity and pace of the game. You have to keep quick and move the ball quickly and create chances and I think we did not do that a lot and that is what cost us and we ended up drawing a game we should have won easily.”

As Kenya prepares for the next clash with Chad, McCarthy will be hoping his players take these lessons to heart and deliver the kind of performance that turns possession and chances into a much-needed victory.