World Cup (Q): McCarthy unhappy with Burundi tactics despite away victory

Kenya national team coach Benni McCarthy was left a fuming man despite Harambee Stars securing a 1-0 victory against Burundi in their second last fixture of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers at Prince Louis Rwagasore Stadium on Thursday.

The matchday nine clash dubbed the ‘East African derby’ saw Kenya lose their goalkeeper Brian Bwire to an injury with only 11 minutes played. McCarthy was forced to replace him with Bryne Omondi.

GOALLLLLLLL🥅 ⚽

Ryan Ogam produces a moment of magic to give Kenya’s #HarambeeStars a one goal lead against Burundi.#WCQ2026 pic.twitter.com/hNWDz9e3kh

— Kasarani Stadium (@KasaraniStadium) October 9, 2025

However, Kenya battled hard to win the game, after substitute Ryan Ogam found the back of the net in the 73rd minute with a beautifully taken effort from outside the box.

McCarthy bemoans losing keeper Brian Bwire

“Losing the keeper became even extra tough, because my players started to play cautiously, they didn’t want to get injured, so it looks Burundi, yeah, they were very physical, they got away with a lot of things, but in normal circumstances, if we had better conditions, better surface, then we could have enjoyed better football,” McCarthy said as quoted by Flashscore.

He added: “In such a situation, I tell my players also to be physical, because that was not real football, I know we want to win, they want to win, but to do a performance like they did, like wanting to break players’ legs, I didn’t come here to Burundi to receive this kind of football.”

McCarthy continued: “We all know they (Burundi) are a very good team, they have good players, and I wanted them to play a fair game. I am super proud of my players for the performance that they gave in almost impossible conditions.

“We showed character, we showed determination, we showed that we are a very good footballing nation, and we are a country, who respect our hosts because my players could have been much worse than what Burundi did, but we didn’t, we respect them, we didn’t receive any respect because for me that was not football.”

Kenya will return to action against Ivory Coast at Alassane Ouattara Ebimpé Olympic Stadium on Tuesday.

⚽ Follow Pan-Africa Football across platforms for real-time news and stories.