Benni McCarthy’s Kenya suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat away to Guinea in their AFCON qualifier on Thursday evening.
Serhou Guirassy scored the decisive goal for the hosts, securing the victory as Guinea bounced back from their defeat to Bafana Bafana.
Guinea enjoyed the lion’s share of possession during the opening ten minutes but were unable to turn their dominance into clear-cut chances, while Kenya remained organised at the back.
The game then settled into a quieter spell, with both sides finding it difficult to create meaningful opportunities. Kenya, in particular, struggled to make forward movements.
The breakthrough finally came in the 32nd minute. Serhou Guirassy reacted quickest to a loose ball and made no mistake, finding the back of the net after Kenya failed to properly clear their lines.
The Harambee Stars struggled to find a response before half-time, with Guinea continuing to dominate possession and remain in control of proceedings.
The second half brought little change for McCarthy’s side, who remained unable to gain control of the ball as the home side continued their momentum from the first half.
The closing stages saw Kenya make a couple of attempts to fight their way back into the game, but the hosts remained resolute to secure the three points.