U23 football: Kenya beat Ivory Coast 2-1
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Citizen Digital
Kenya beat Ivory Coast 2-1 in the opening match of the 2027 U23 AFCON qualifiers, thanks to Henry Omollo and Andreas Odhiambo. The Emerging Stars prepare for the second leg with this advantage, according to Citizen Digital.
Kenya beat Ivory Coast 2-1 on Wednesday at Nairobi’s Nyayo National Stadium in the first leg of the 2027 U23 AFCON qualifiers. Henry Omollo and Andreas Odhiambo scored for the Emerging Stars, while Oumar Konaté scored Ivory Coast’s goal, reports Citizen Digital.
Kenyan captain Kevin Injehu Wangaya believes his team can reach the final qualifying round, while calling on his teammates to prepare several plans for the second leg. Coach Anthony Kimani, for his part, warned his players that they had «won the first battle, not the war», because of the return leg scheduled in Abidjan, reports Citizen Digital.
Ivory Coast will host Kenya on Tuesday 17 November at the Félix-Houphouët-Boigny Stadium in Abidjan, with kick-off set for 10pm East Africa Time. The winner on aggregate over the two matches will advance to the final qualifying round, according to Citizen Digital.
The match comes a day after the encounter between Rwanda and Cameroon in the U23 AFCON qualifiers, played on 11 November 2026. It is also part of a series of recent qualifying results, including Ghana’s 1-0 defeat in Libya and Senegal’s draw in South Sudan on 11 November 2026.
