Benni McCarthy hails Kenya’s resilience after late draw with Bafana Bafana

Kenya head coach Benni McCarthy said his side deserved their share of the points after coming from behind twice to draw 2-2 with Bafana Bafana in their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier at the Orlando Amstel Arena on Friday.

Ryan Ogam’s stoppage-time equaliser denied Pitso Mosimane’s South Africa all three points and extended Kenya’s wait for their first win in the qualifying campaign.

The Harambee Stars had previously drawn 1-1 with Eritrea and lost 1-0 to Guinea. They now have two points from their opening three matches.

McCarthy was pleased with the character shown by his players and said the evenly contested match could reasonably have produced a victory for either team.

“Whoever had won this game, I don’t think people would have been angry or say one team was lucky, because I think both teams had their moments, both goalkeepers performed and kept both teams in the game,” McCarthy said.

“So I think, yeah, I’m happy for that. I’m not sure if that’s the result Bafana wanted, but at the end of the day, you know, it’s a football match.

“And now there’s another opportunity to come to Kenya and hopefully get something positive from it.”

South Africa remain top of Group D with seven points from three games, while Guinea are second on six. Kenya are third with two points and Eritrea are fourth on one.

Kenya have already qualified for AFCON 2027 as co-hosts. The qualifying group will therefore decide which of South Africa, Guinea and Eritrea joins them at the tournament.

McCarthy will prepare for the return meeting in Nairobi, where Kenya will aim to carry the momentum from their display in Johannesburg into the next fixture and secure their first qualifying victory.

Bafana Bafana’s Oswin Appollis attempts to close down a Kenya player during the Africa Cup of Nations qualifier.