Benni McCarthy’s Kenya side lost 1-0 to Equatorial Guinea in an international friendly that took place in Antalya on Friday evening.
The only goal arrived moments before the break when Josete Miranda converted a penalty and gave the Central Africans the advantage.
Before that moment, Kenya had created the best chance of the half, with Jonah Ayunga forcing a superb save from goalkeeper Jesus Lazaro Owono.
The defeat has amplified ongoing scrutiny around squad selection after Kenyan legend Dennis Oliech openly questioned McCarthy’s decision to leave out national team captain Michael Olunga.
Kenya’s technical bench, however, has pushed back on that criticism.
Assistant coach Vasili Manousakis explained that McCarthy left out Olunga to manage fatigue, noting the striker’s heavy workload at Al Arabi in the Qatar Stars League.
Kenya will now attempt to bounce back when they face Senegal on Tuesday in their final friendly of the international window.
