Rising Stars strike late to sink Ivory Coast and edge closer to Olympics dream

The Mt Kenya Times

Football
12 November 2026

The Mt Kenya Times

Kenya’s Under-23 side produced a gritty second-half comeback at Nyayo to seize a crucial first-leg advantage in their Los Angeles 2028 qualifying campaign

By Martin Weche

Kenya’s Rising Stars delivered a dramatic late winner yesterday to beat Ivory Coast 2-1 in the first leg of their Olympic Games second-round qualifier at Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi, keeping their Los Angeles 2028 dream firmly alive.

It was the kind of victory that qualification campaigns are built on — scrappy, tense and ultimately decisive. For long stretches of a cagey encounter, the Rising Stars struggled to impose themselves on a well-organised Ivorian side, and a goalless first half did little to ease the anxiety of a home support that had arrived expecting fireworks. The second half, however, told a different story entirely.

Kenya’s breakthrough came in the 65th minute through substitute Henry Omollo, whose introduction proved an inspired decision by the coaching staff. Omollo had been on the pitch only briefly when he found the net, sending Nyayo into a burst of noise that temporarily transformed the atmosphere inside the stadium. The lead, though, lasted just nine minutes. Oumar Konaté drew Ivory Coast level in the 74th minute with a finish that silenced the home crowd and shifted momentum sharply towards the visitors, who suddenly sensed an away draw that would serve them well heading into the second leg.

What followed was a nervy final quarter that tested the character of a young Kenyan side under genuine pressure. The Rising Stars, to their considerable credit, did not retreat. They continued to press for a winner, and their persistence was rewarded six minutes from time when Andreas Odhiambo struck to restore Kenya’s lead and seal a 2-1 victory that significantly improves their prospects ahead of the return fixture in Abidjan on 17 November.

The result gives Kenya a valuable cushion. Travelling to West Africa with a one-goal advantage is far from comfortable — Ivory Coast are an experienced and technically capable side who will be confident of reversing the deficit on home soil — but it is infinitely preferable to the alternative. A draw at Nyayo would have left the Rising Stars needing to win away from home simply to advance; now they carry momentum, a lead and the psychological boost of having come from behind to win.

The stakes extend well beyond a single tie. This qualification campaign serves simultaneously as the pathway to the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations Under-23 tournament, meaning every match carries double significance for Kenya’s emerging generation of footballers. Should the Rising Stars navigate past Ivory Coast in Abidjan, they will advance to the third round of Olympic qualifying, where either Gabon or Tunisia await in March next year. That would represent a significant achievement for a programme that has been building steadily and now finds itself within reach of a genuinely historic qualification.

Odhiambo’s late strike will inevitably attract the headlines, and rightly so — it was a goal that required both technical composure and the mental fortitude to deliver in a high-pressure moment. But the more significant story is the collective resilience the Rising Stars showed after conceding the equaliser. Lesser sides, particularly at Under-23 level, buckle when a lead disappears. This group pressed on.

The job, of course, is only half done. Nyayo provided the platform; Abidjan will provide the examination. Ivory Coast at home, with a crowd behind them and a deficit to erase, will be a markedly different proposition from the side that left Nairobi yesterday evening on the wrong end of the scoreline.

Kenya’s Rising Stars have earned the right to dream. Whether that dream survives the return leg on Monday will depend on whether this performance was a statement of intent or simply a good night’s work.