Harambee Stars went into the away game seeking victory but forward Serhou Guirassy had other ideas as he scored what turned out to be the winner for Guinea in the 32nd minute.
McCarthy made two changes to the squad which faced Eritrea in the 1-1 draw with midfielder Mohamed Bajaber starting alongside Ben-Stanley Omondi.The game started with Guinea winning a free-kick from outside the area but the resultant effort from Oud-Heverlee Leuven forward Abdoul Karim Traore hit the Harambee Stars wall.In the 10th minute,
Kenya started to settle and it was Micah Obiero, who had the first opportunity to score for the East African side after breaking through but his effort was saved by Mohamed Camara.Four minutes later, Guinea threatened again, this time dangerman Serhou Guirassy watching helplessly after his superb free-kick rattled the upright side of the post for a goal-kick.
Kenya continued to lose the ball and giving away free-kicks with Bajaber the first to go into the referee’s book. Guirassy teed up Karim Traore with a fantastic pass but the latter hit his effort wide.
Guinea looked the best side to break the deadlock and they did so in the 32nd minute. Borussia Dortmund talisman Guirassy picked the ball from the area, surged forward while dribbling past Kenyan defenders before sneaking it past Bryne Omondi.
The goal for Guinea was coming as they had missed a couple of chances including a glancing header by Yadaly Diaby before Guirassy calmly picked the right corner for the opener. Guinea continued to attack Kenya for the second but Omondi did well to deny Abdulkarim Traore and Guirassy before the whistle for the half-time break saved them from a disastrous result.