Men’s football team handed ruthless beating by Senegal at Beach Games

• Kenya lost the opening game 12-1
• They will face Tanzania and Libya on Wednesday
• The athletics team also missed out on medals

The Kenyan football team had a false start at the second edition of the Africa Beach Games in Hammamet, Tunisia on Tuesday evening, losing 12-1 to defending champions Senegal.

Mamour Diagne starred for the Teranga Sand Lions with a hattrick while Kenya’s consolation was scored by skipper Farid Bwana.

“It was a tough game today because we played against a very experienced team who are the African champions. We have to give them respect because they have been in this game for longer than us and they have played at the biggest stages,” said skipper Bwana.

He added; “As a team we gave in the best we could but we were not perfect in many aspects of the game. We aim to improve this ahead of our next match.”

Meanwhile, coach Ali Kinero said the team picked lessons from the defeat.

“We have a very young squad and probably the stage fright of playing a big team got into them. But we have learnt and we take it in our stride to do better in the next match,” the coach noted.

Senegal lead 3-0 in first period 

Action between Senegal and Kenya in beach football

Raoul Mendy and Diagne gave Senegal a 2-0 lead after seven minutes, the latter scoring a brilliant overhead kick after they finally settled in the game. Serigne Moctar Koite took them 3-0 at the end of the first period with another brilliant overhead kick.

Kenya’s only shot on target in the first half was via a Paul Kavula shot that was punched away by the keeper.

In the second period, Senegal were off to a good start with Diagne scoring a quick brace before Seyduna Diagne added the sixth goal.

Aswar Shamuni had a brilliant one on one chance to score Kenya’s first goal but he fluffed his lines, and the African champions launched a counter with a quick punish, Jean Alpha Diouf finding the back of the net.

Senegal continued to dominate and stretched their lead to 10-0 in the third period before skipper Bwana squeezed in a shot from the left for Kenya’s consolation.

Substitute keeper Ousseynou Faye then made it 11-1 with a speculative shot from his goal area before Diouf’s freekick from distance wrapped up the win for Senegal.

Kenya will now switch their attention to a vital second group match against neighbors Tanzania on Wednesday morning, a game they must win to keep their knockout hopes alive.

Kenyan athletes miss out on medals 

Kenya’s Koech Cheruiyot finishes the race

Meanwhile, the Kenyan duo of Faith Chepchirchir and Koech Cheruiyot finished fifth and seventh respectively in the 10km run earlier in the morning.

The two withstood tough conditions in the Tunisian city, with the heat and humidity posing a huge challenge.

“It was really tough for us today, but we are glad to have endured to finish the race. Of course we would have wanted to win, but we take the experience and the lessons,” said Koech after the race.

Chepchirchir added that she was delighted to have competed for Team Kenya, and vowed to come back stronger next time.

“This was my first time ever in an international competition and I finished fifth with very tough conditions. We really fought to try and get a good result,” the 22-year old stated.

Koech timed 30:26 to finish seventh in the men’s race while Chepchrichir timed 34:27 in finishing fifth in the women’s race.

Ethiopian Adisu Girma won the men’s race in 28:52 while Tebello Ramakongoana from Lesotho was second in 28:58 and Djibouti’s Moumin Gulleh third in 29:05.

In the women’s race, Djibouti’s Samiya Hassan Nour won in 32:18 while Lesotho’s Mokulubete Blandina was second in 33:15 and Souad Ait Salem of Algeria was third in 33:26.