Nairobi, November 19- Kenya endured a crushing 8–0 loss to a ruthless Senegal team in a friendly played on Thursday at the Mardan Stadium in Antalya, Turkey one of the heaviest defeats ever recorded by the Harambee Stars.
Sadio Mané struck a first-half hat-trick, Nicolas Jackson netted twice, and Malick Diouf alongside substitute Chérif Ndiaye added their names to the scoreboard, as Senegal capitalised on Kenya’s defensive struggles in a completely one-sided match.
For head coach Benni McCarthy, the match was a harsh reality check on the progress of his rebuilding effort. It marked his worst result since taking charge and Kenya’s biggest defeat since the 9–0 loss to Zambia in 1978.
Senegal imposed their dominance almost immediately. Jackson opened the scoring inside the first 10 minutes after Kenya lost possession deep in their own half.
Diouf punished another mistake minutes later to double the lead, and by 15 minutes, Jackson had tapped in Sarr’s low cross to make it 3–0.
Soon after play resumed, Mané made it 4–0 with a powerful finish past goalkeeper Brian Bwire.
Kenya occasionally threatened through Jonah Ayunga and William Lenkupae, but Senegal’s defence snuffed out every attempt.
Mané later won and converted a penalty, then completed his hat-trick with a clever chip that bounced off Bwire and into the net.
Senegal briefly had a seventh goal ruled out for offside on Jackson just before the break.
The second half offered no respite. Mané and Jackson linked up again, with the Al-Nassr star calmly burying his fourth goal to stretch the lead to 7–0.
Bwire made a rare standout save by pushing away Koulibaly’s strong header, momentarily slowing Senegal’s momentum.
Kenya saw more of the ball after making several changes, but breaking through a defence anchored by Koulibaly proved impossible.
Any hope of damage control disappeared in the 80th minute when Ndiaye converted Senegal’s second penalty — also conceded by Owino — sealing the 8–0 scoreline.
While the match had no competitive stakes, the gap between the two sides was clear, and the loss will force difficult conversations in the Kenyan setup.
Senegal, meanwhile, will take confidence from the dominant display as they prepare for the Africa Cup of Nations next month in Morocco.
For Kenya, the night in Antalya underscored how far the team still has to go in rebuilding a competitive squad.
