World Cup Qualifying: Kenya striker Olunga blames Gambia defeat on mistakes

Kenya national team striker Michael Olunga believes that Harambee Stars were smashed by Gambia in their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying fixture at Kasarani Stadium because of their own mistakes.

Harambee Stars’ slim chance to qualify for their first-ever World Cup ended in pain after the Scorpions secured a 3-1 victory in the Group F contest. Brighton & Hove Albion winger Yankuba Minteh set up Sheriff Sinyan to open the scoring, grabbed the second from a beautiful finish, before setting up Musa Barrow for the third.

Though Kenya pulled a goal back courtesy of substitute Ryan Ogam, it was not enough to spark a comeback.

“Today, honestly, we lost the game because of our own mistakes. We started the game quite well, the first 20 minutes were on top of it, we created a few opportunities…we were there in the game, but we made three back-to-back mistakes and were punished,” Olunga told reporters.

“At the top level, it is really difficult to come back after committing such mistakes, 3-0 at half time, it was a mountain to climb, but the team showed fighting spirit until the end, we did not give up, we wanted to make our fans proud but at the end of the day, it was not to be.”

The defeat left Kenya fifth on the pile with six points, while Ivory Coast are top with 19 and Gabon second with 18. Kenya will shift focus to their fixture against Seychelles at the same venue on Tuesday.