Harambee Stars, who headed into the fixture with two wins from their last five games, were unable to outclass Equatorial Guinea despite creating a number of chances.
Kenya's most open chance was created in the 15th minute when the hard-working Jonah Ayunga failed to find the back of the net despite winning the ball at an advantageous position.
Ayunga again was involved in creating another chance for Kenya; his combination with Ryan Ogam and Boniface Muchiri stretched their opponents at the back, but Muchiri missed the target, wasting a glorious chance.
Just before the halftime break, Kenya conceded a penalty when Rooney Onyango fouled Equatorial Guinea’s Josete Miranda. Miranda rose up to successfully convert the penalty and give his country the lead.
Austin Odhiambo failed to find the back of the net with another open chance for Kenya in the 66th minute. The attacking midfielder was spotted in a good position by Onyango, but he ended up sending his shot wide.
Harambee Stars could not fight back despite showing more determination in the second half, meaning the game ended in favour of their opponents.
This was the first game between the East Africans and the Central Africans since May 28, 2018, in a friendly that Harambee Stars won by a 1-0 margin. The goal for Kenya was scored by Piston Mutamba.
Gor Mahia's defender, Mike Kibwage, is the only star who played in 2018 and was also in the team that faced the Central Africans again in Turkey.
When he named his squad for the two friendlies, McCarthy omitted Harambee Stars' captain Olunga. His decision raised eyebrows, given that the striker is Kenya's top star and is Harambee Stars' most prolific striker. Olunga has 34 goals for the national team, and he is just one goal away from matching the all-time record held by William ‘Chege’ Ouma.
However, he included highly rated Nairobi United left-back Kevin Otiende, who was given his first national team call-up and earned his debut in Turkey.
The friendly matches have been lined up to help McCarthy sharpen his players ahead of the 2027 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) finals.
Kenya will not be part of the 2025 AFCON finals that will take place in Morocco in December 2025 and January 2026 after failing to qualify. The East Africans also failed to qualify for the 2026 World Cup finals, and that means their focus is mainly on the 2027 AFCON finals, which they will co-host with Uganda and Tanzania.
For Equatorial Guinea, though, the match against Kenya is aimed at helping them prepare for the AFCON showpiece in Morocco. The Central Africans are in Group E and will face Algeria, Burkina Faso, and Sudan.
They will open their campaign against Burkina Faso on December 24 before taking on Sudan on December 28, with their final match against Algeria set for December 31.
Kenya will face Senegal on November 18 at the Mardan Stadium, with the game set to kick off at 18:00 EAT.
This is a game that the Bafana Bafana legend must make sure he wins in order to help Kenya return to winning ways and ease pressure on his shoulders.
