Tisini Data Insights: Firat's Stars Found Wanting in Attack
Kenya's winless streak against Cameroon was extended to 9 with Harambee Stars going down 4-1 in Yaoundé. Previously, the Stars had never conceded more than 3 goals against the 5-time African champions showing just how woeful the performance was on the night.
**Note: Stats for Cameroon are partial (65mins)
Firat’s Side Blunt Attack
Patrick Matasi took a lot of heat from fans due to his performance in goal, but a look into the numbers by Tisini, shows Engin Fırat’s side had little to offer in terms of attack. For starters, Firat’s side had the ball much less than Cameroon attempting 237 passes and completing 214 of them. Kenya's attempted passes (237) were equivalent to the number of passes successfully completed by their opponents. Harambee Stars attempted just 3 progressive passes in the entire match with only one successfully finding a Kenyan player. The team managed 3 key passes.
Attacking actions on the night were low and poor across all events Tisini tracked. Kenya attempted only 2 dribbles completing 1. Of the 15 crosses attempted by Firat’s side, none found a team mate. The majority of Kenya's crosses (9) were delivered from the right side, with Rooney Onyango contributing the most with 3 crosses. However, overally Eric Ouma on the left side attempted the most, with 5 crosses.
The side lacked it creative juices with the midfield unimpressive. The team did not manage a single box carry in the whole match and only had 2 box touches. The forwards were clearly starved as all the 2 box touches were by Michael Olunga.
Kenya's lack of creativity forced them to rely on long-range shots. Of their 6 attempts, 5 came from outside the box, and only 1 was on target. The only shot Kenya managed from inside the box was also on target. Kenya's lack of attacking threat was evident, as Andre Onana only needed to make 1 save and 1 claim throughout the match.
Defensive Actions
Harambee Stars was clearly the side on the back foot having to make 21 clearances compared to Cameroon’s 4. While Matasi took a lot of blame, his defense did not help him either. The visitors only attempted 3 tackles winning 2. The team did not put in any blocks in the match and contested in only one aerial duel. Cameroon ended up wining 3 of the 7 crosses they attempted.
Firat had his side put up a lot of the fight in its own half and did little pressing in the opposition’s half. At the end, Harambee Stars had no interceptions in Cameroon’s half. They did however, manage 10 in their own half.
In contrast, Cameroon's defense intercepted the ball four times, including once in Kenya's half. One of the interceptions led to an attacking transition from which Christian Bassogog scored Cameroon’s fourth goal.
In the last game against Namibia, Harambee Stars scored from a free kick and Avire again tested Andre Onana with a good attempt in the second half. Firat’s side did have 2 set piece chances as recorded by Tisini. This proved to be the route to goal as Eric Ouma’s 41st minute freekick was met by a good header from Olunga.
Best Quarter
The host really had a 30 min window where they sustained their best intensity of the match. 2 of their 3 shots on target came in this period between the 16th minute and half time. The last 15 minutes to half time were when both teams were at it. Kenya had 2 shots with one on target in this period. Both teams created an equal number of chances during the quarter, with six chances each. In the end, the competitive quarter resulted in 3 goals with the host’s scoring twice. Like the previous, 15 minutes, Cameroon was able to sustain some intensity in the first quarter of the second half while Kenya didn’t.
Harambee Stars Best Player
Kenya now sit 3rd with 4 points on the board. They face Cameroon in Uganda on Monday with the West African side now clear at the top of Group J with 7 points. Harambee Stars fans will hope the side will have more attacking impetus in Kampala.
