Qatar goalkeeper Meshaal Barsham concedes a goal against Kenya yesterday. AFP
Doha, Qatar: Amos Nondi scored the winner in stoppage time as Kenya stunned Qatar 2-1 in their gripping international friendly at Al Janoub Stadium yesterday.
Kenya captain and Al Duhail striker Michael Olunga assisted Nondi with a fine cross from the left with the midfielder scoring from a close range in 91st minute to give Kenya a morale-boosting victory.
Kenya had taken the lead in 20th minute through Joseph Okumu’s brilliant header with Qatar captain Hassan Al Haydos scoring the equaliser from the spot in 34th minute.
The match played in front of almost 16000 spectators at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 venue produced thrilling action in both the sessions.
Qatar head coach Carlos Queiroz mainly focused on testing his players as he changed almost his entire playing team after the half-time.
Qatar captain Hassan Al Haydos (second left) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal for his side.
Engin Firat’s Harambee Stars were impressive throughout the match against the Asian champions giving cheerful moments to their fans who turned out in good numbers to support their national team. Qatar started in a dominating fashion with Yousef Abdelrazaq missing a chance in the ninth minute, hitting the ball wide on goalkeeper Byrne Odhiambo’s left.
As Kenya started to bounce back in the match, Olunga’s hit was blocked by Meshaal Barsham but the Harambee Stars soon went ahead, thanks to Okumu’s clinical header off a corner kick giving no chance to the Qatari goalkeeper to stop the ball.
Al Haydos marked his return to the national side after missing the Gold Cup squad by scoring the leveler, converting a penalty with a low hit on his left following a foul against Abdelrazaq.
The second half also saw several exchanges between the two sides before Olunga orchestrated a fine assist for Nondi to score the decisive goal.
“It was a fantastic game, a good challenge with the Qatar national team. I am super proud what the team has achieved and I hope we would continue to play this kind of game,” said Olunga.
“We started and finished the game quite well. It was a tough game because Qatar team they managed to play very good football but at the end we managed to score a late winner,” he added.
Qatar will now gear up for their second international friendly against Russia to be played at the same on September 12, while Kenya will return home to prepare for their game against South Sudan the same day.
