Kenya’s Harambee Stars suffered a 1-0 defeat to Guinea in Conakry on Thursday, leaving them with just one point from their opening two matches in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers.
Guinea secured their first victory of the qualifying campaign through Serhou Guirassy, who scored the only goal of the match in the 32nd minute.
The forward capitalised on an opportunity inside the box to give the hosts the lead, with Kenya unable to find a response before the final whistle.
The defeat comes just days after Kenya began their Group D campaign with a 1-1 draw against Eritrea at the Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi.
The Harambee Stars were unable to build on that result in Conakry, leaving them with one point from a possible six as they prepare for their next qualifying assignments.
Meanwhile, South Africa moved to the top of Group D after recording a convincing 5-0 victory over Eritrea. The result gives Bafana Bafana six points from their opening two matches and puts them three points clear of Guinea.
Guinea now sit second with three points, while Kenya and Eritrea occupy the third and fourth positions respectively, both with one point.
Despite their position in the group, Kenya already have a place at the 2027 AFCON finals secured as one of the tournament’s co-hosts alongside Uganda and Tanzania.
The Harambee Stars are nevertheless taking part in the qualifying campaign, with the matches providing valuable competitive preparation ahead of the continental tournament.
Under the qualification format, one team from Group D, other than automatically qualified co-host Kenya, will secure a place at the 2027 AFCON finals through the qualifiers.
Kenya will therefore be looking to improve their results in the remaining matches, with the team expected to use the campaign to sharpen its squad and build momentum before the tournament hosted jointly by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.
The result in Conakry leaves the Harambee Stars needing a stronger run in their remaining fixtures if they are to finish the qualifying campaign on a positive note.
