Ten-man Emerging Stars go down to Comoros in Cosafa Cup

Kenya's Emerging Stars lost 2-0 to Comoros in  their second match of the ongoing Cosafa Cup in South Africa, at the Isaac Wolfson Stadium Sunday afternoon.

Reduced to 10 men in the 33rd minute after Paul Ochuoga was shown a red card after a second yellow, Kenya still fought hard but the effort was just not enough to match Comoros who took advantage of their numbers. 

Affane Djambae was twice on target to give Comoros the important win, which took them to three points, having lost the opener to Zimbabwe. 

In his post-match remarks, Stars coach Ken Odhiambo said the red card was a big blow to their plan in the match.

"We were left off balance after the red card and the penalty. It affected how we wanted to play, as the opponents who were also good in their show took advantage to get the result," said the Harambee Stars assistant coach.

Coming off a confident 2-0 victory over Zambia, Kenya hoped to continue their winning streak. However, the day unfolded with unexpected twists, as Ochuoga, the only change in Kenya's lineup that faced Zambia was bookled within the first 10 opening minutes. A miscommunication at the backline proved costly for Kenya in the 33rd, the lapse resulting in a penalty and a second yellow card for Ochuoga. 

Djambae stepped up and coolly converted the penalty, putting Comoros ahead.

The second half started with Kenya trying to regroup, but Comoros struck again swiftly. In the 49th minute, a miskicked shot from Comoros midfielder Ali Mze landed at the feet of Djambae, who made no mistake in doubling their lead.

Trailing by two goals, Kenya adopted a more defensive stance, cautious not to concede further. Despite this, Comoros continued to press and created multiple scoring opportunities which were however not converted.

Zambia, the only side with zero points at the publishing of this account, take on Zimbabwe Sunday evening seeking to draw level with the rest of the teams in the group (three points) should they win.