Kenya endured one of their darkest nights in recent memory after falling 8–0 to a ruthless Senegal side in a friendly match played today. For head coach Benni McCarthy, it was easily his most embarrassing defeat since taking charge of the Harambee Stars.
This latest collapse must have felt painful. McCarthy made several changes from the team that lost 1–0 to Equatorial Guinea, choosing to bench goalkeeper Bryne Omondi. In his place, Polokwane City’s Brian Bwire started, but the night quickly turned sour for him.
At the back, Barone Ochieng played from the right as Alphonse Omija and Sylvester Owino tried to marshal the middle, while Brytone Otieno covered the left. Anthony Akumu anchored the midfield with Alpha Onyango and Duke Abuya, while Austine Otieno operated just behind the front duo of Johan Ayunga and William Lenkupae.
But Senegal, who recently lost 2-0 to Brazil, as reported by Softfootball, didn’t waste time showing why they remain one of Africa’s strongest teams. In just nine minutes, Nicolas Jackson, currently on loan at Bayern Munich, weaved past two defenders to smash in the opener.
Four minutes later, a Bwire mistake gifted Ibrahim Mbaye the chance to set up El Hadji Malick Diouf for an easy second. Things fell apart fast. By the 15th minute, Jackson had doubled his tally, finishing off a pinpoint cross from Abdoulaye Seck. And before Kenya could even regroup.
Jackson turned provider in the 17th minute, squaring the ball for Sadio Mane to make it 4–0. Mané converted a penalty at the half-hour mark to make it five before completing his hat-trick just four minutes later. By then, Kenya hadn’t even tested Edouard Mendy.
The second half didn’t bring any comfort for Kenya either. Idrissa Gana Gueye came off the bench in the 63rd minute and immediately lifted Senegal’s tempo, putting in a sharp, commanding shift that even earned praise from his club on their official X account.
View the post below:
🇸🇳 Idrissa Gana Gueye came off the bench in the 63rd minute in Senegal's resounding 8-0 friendly win over Kenya! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/ZkHvO6lhak
— Everton (@Everton) November 18, 2025Mbaye rifled home Senegal’s seventh almost immediately after kickoff, and substitute Cherif Ndiaye wrapped things up in the 80th minute. For McCarthy, whose previous heaviest loss was 3–0, the final scoreline will sting for a long while. Senegal, meanwhile, treated the game as part of their warm-up for the 2025 AFCON; they look more than ready.
