Nairobi — Harambee Stars attacking midfielder Austin Odhiambo believes the team can use the home ground advantage to see Kenya challenge for the Africa Nations Championship (CHAN) trophy.
Odhiambo scored the lone goal that saw Kenya beat DR Congo in their opening game, and speaking exclusively to Telecomasia, the Gor Mahia man believes it has spurred their belief that they can go all the way to win the crown.
Kenya is playing at the CHAN for the first time ever, by virtue of being one of the three co-hosts alongside neighbors Uganda and Tanzania.
“As a team, everyone has one dream which is to win the title and we are united to chase this. We are on home soil and I believe we can do it. We have a good squad and the fans are behind us,” Odhiambo stated.
“That really pushes us through. It did against DR Congo and we believe it can lift us through the tournament. We just take a game at a time and push on. Winning the first match of the tournament is huge because it gives you some huge momentum and we hope to build on that for our next game. We believe we can go step by step and play the final which will be staged here in Nairobi,” Odhiambo told Telecomasia.
The midfielder also believes the CHAN tournament offers players an opportunity to take the next steps in their careers, as it is widely watched by teams and scouts from across the world.
“This is a historical opportunity for us as a country. As players we have been given a platform to showcase our talent to the rest of Africa and show that Kenya is also good in football. For us as players, we can unlock our futures using this tournament and this is the chance we want to take with both hands,” notes Odhiambo.
After DR Congo, the Harambee Stars next prepare to face Angola, who started their campaign with a 0-2 defeat to Morocco and are under pressure for a win to salvage their tournament.
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