By Staff Reporter,

Kenya’s Harambee Stars kicked off their campaign in the Commemoration cup in Rwanda with a 0-0 draw against hosts Rwanda in a tight game that saw both sides clearly miss valuable chances.It was a match that was both vibriant and showed alot of glimpses of good football as Southampton’s Victor Wanyama held the visitors together.

The home side kicked off with a spirited show of commitment and urge to impress the Irish tactician who is seeking a substantial 18-man squad that will register a positive result against Mozambique in the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier on the weekend of June 13-14 in Maputo.

Amavubi started the match well with captain Haruna Niyonzima’s long range shot from outside the penalty box in the 20th minute cleared by Brian Onyango who sent the ball to the stands. The home side controlled the tempo of the game, just like McKinstry had asked them in training but failed to find the back of the net and the first half ended in a 0-0 draw.

In the 50th minute, striker Ernest Sugira was brought down outside the penalty box and Emery Bayisenge’s near-perfect freekick went inches off to fluff a chance that could have given the Amavubi victory in front of eager fans who were smitten by the presence of Southampton midfielder and Harambee Stars captain Victor Wanyama on the opposition set-up.

Holding midfielders Robert Ndatimana and Jean Baptiste Mugiraneza contained Wanyama in midfield, regaining possession more often and a string of brilliant passes to wingbacks Jean Claude Iranzi on the left and Jacques Tuyisenge on the right, made for a beautiful sight of football that was let down by the absence of finishing prowess in front of goal.

However, a top-notch performance in the last 15 minutes saw the Amavubi raise the tempo of the game and put the Kenyan defense in panic mode but the visitors who did not use any of their three available substitutes, held on to force a draw.

McKinstry said, “I am very pleased with the effort of the players. When I first came here to Rwanda, the first thing I was told was that the team wasn’t very fit and in the last 15 minutes of games, they always dropped down and that’s where they would lose games yet today, I think the complete opposite was true, in the last 15 minutes, Rwanda had Kenya rocking and to be honest, I think if one of the chances had gone in, maybe two or three might have gone in the last 10 minutes.”

The Irishman further explained that, “I think we need a lot of quality service into the box. In the first half, we were inside the Kenyan penalty area than they were inside ours but the problem was our quality of delivery into the box was average at best. In the second half, we’ve seen better quality.

I am a little disappointed that we didn’t get the winning goal because I think we probably deserved it on the balance of play. Kenya had two chances in the entire game, one from a very good play from Wanyama when we didn’t press the ball and that was our foolish mistake. And in the second half again, maybe being a bit aggressive to go on and try to win the game, we allowed them one chance.”

Rwanda face Tanzania this afternoon and McKinstry who is going to name a different 11 from yesterday’s side said, “We are looking for more of the same from the players. Tanzania are going to be a stubborn team. When they play at home, they tend to win or draw but on their travels, they wouldn’t win as many games but they will be a stubborn opponent.”

Kenya take on South Sudan in the first game of the day and the Harambee Stars’ assistant coach Musa Otieno is wary of his side’s performance as the 14-man squad will play their second game in two days.

Rwanda XI vs Kenya: Mvuyekure, Omborenga, Bayisenge, Rugwiro, Rutanga, Ndatimana, Mugiraneza, Iranzi, Niyonzima, Tuyisenge, Sugira.

Kenya XI vs Rwanda: Ian Otieno, Brian Mandela Onyango, Victor Wanyama, Odhiambo, Wakanya, Akumu, Nzuki, Ochieng, Wanga, Kahata, Odette

Additional reporting by Rwanda Times:

Collins Okinyo

Ex- CAF Media Expert. An expert on African football with over 15 years experience ,always with an ear to the ground with indepth knowledge of the game. I have worked for top publications including 7 years at www.supersport.com until i founded www.soka25east.com to quench the thirst of football lovers across the continent. I have trained young upcoming journalists who are now a voice in African football.I have covered World Cup,AFCON,CHAN,Champions League,Confederations Cup,Cecafa,Cosafa,Wafu and many other football tournaments across the World. Founder Football Africa Arena(FAA),Founder www.afrisportdigital.com