Benni McCarthy is hoping for Kenya to be able to repeat their heroics against South Africa when the two countries meet again in Nairobi on Tuesday after his tactics stymied the home side in their Africa Cup of Nations qualifier at Orlando Stadium on Friday.
“I think I’m happy, but I’m not sure it’s the result Bafana wanted, but at the end of the day when you’re the coach you just want your team to win, but I wasn’t able to get it over the line. But on Tuesday we have another opportunity, and hopefully we will get something positive,” McCarthy said of the return meeting in the Kenyan capital.
The Harambee Stars netted a late equaliser through 21-year-old Belgium-based Ryan Ogam, who got the better of errant defending from the highly rated Olwethu Makhanya.
“I thought we played a good game of football, a little too basketball like for my liking,” McCarthy said afterwards.
“I would like to have had more control of the game, especially when we went 1-1. At halftime, I thought we were in the game good; we controlled most of the situations.
“In the second half, Bafana came out, but I still thought we controlled the game and we managed most of the situations.
“Obviously we made that error, we gave away the opening goal, and I’ve had to change the system, which I don’t think they realised I’ve changed the system. But we got into a bit of trouble with (Aubrey) Modiba, the two full-backs on both sides, they were causing us problems,” said the former goal ace, who is still Bafana Bafana’s record scorer.
“Ossie (Oswin Appollis) and Tshepang (Moremi) were tucking inside and you had Iqraam (Rayners) and Rele (Relebohile Mofokeng) who were causing us a lot of problems, and then the full-backs were having a free ride every single time, and then we changed it.
“We changed into a back-three and then the wing-backs occupied the full-backs, which I think they didn’t know what hit them and then we started having a bit of space and more possession and we were able to do what we did.
“In the end, I think it was a deserved draw for both teams. Whoever had won this game, I don’t think people would’ve been angry or said 2-1 was lucky, cause I think over the 90 minutes both teams had their moments.
“Both goalkeepers really kept both teams in the game,” he added.