Harambee Stars Thrashed 8–0 by Senegal: What Really Happened in Turkey

Turkey, 18 November 2025 - The Harambee Stars endured a night to forget after suffering a heavy 8–0 Defeat to Senegal in an international friendly played on neutral ground in Turkey.

It was one of those matches where nothing clicked for the Kenyan side, while the Lions of Teranga were ruthless from start to finish.

Senegal came out flying, pressing high and giving Kenya’s defense no breathing space. Their early pressure paid off in the 9th minute when Bayern Munich forward Nicolas Jackson (on loan from Chelsea) opened the scoring. Just three minutes later, Malick Diouf capitalized on slack defending to double Senegal’s lead.

Benni McCarthy’s men tried to settle into the match, but every mistake was punished. Jackson grabbed his second in the 15th minute before Sadio Mané added another two minutes later to make it 3–0. Things only got worse for the Stars.

In the 31st minute, Kenya conceded a penalty after a reckless challenge in the box. Mané stepped up and calmly converted, stretching the lead to 4–0 and deepening the misery. At this point, the Harambee Stars looked lost, frustrated, and stunned; they never imagined being four goals down inside half an hour.

Four minutes later, Mané completed his hat-trick, capping off a dominant first-half display.

The whistle for halftime blew with Kenya trailing 6–0.