Kenya’s national team the Harambee Stars went down 2-1 to Iraq in an international match against Iraq in Basra Thursday night.

Hekmat Nouri converted from the spot for the opener before Ahmed Ibrahim doubled the lead with a fine header on the stroke of half time.

Girona striker Michael Olunga pulled one back in the 85th minute with panache to save coach Stanley Okumbi the blashes.

The first stanza largely belonged to the host who mesmerized the fans with their sleek passes.

A late second half resurgence by the visitors saw them reduce the deficit but it was not enough to deny the Asian giants the win.

Both teams are ranked 88th by FIFA but the Lions of Mesopotamia are one of the top teams in Asia and have qualified for the FIFA World Cup once and are on course to Russia 2018.

Kenya will play their next friendly against Thailand over the weekend.