Kenya draw with Libya 0-0 in Cecafa Cup

NAIROBI, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- Hosts Kenya missed a chance to seal qualification to the semi-finals of the regional 2017 Cecafa Senior Challenge Cup after being held to a 0-0 by guest team Libya on Tuesday.

The result blew Group A wide open after Zanzibar eliminated Rwanda from the competition by beating them 3-1 in an earlier clash of the regional tournament.

Kenya's Harambee Stars top the standings with four points, while Zanzibar on second with identical points. Tanzania have one point and winless Rwanda at bottom.

Stars new head coach, Paul Put who is playing on his first assignment since the Belgian was appointed to the role, made only one change from the team that beat Rwanda 2-0 in the tournament opener on Thursday.

After settling for a goalless draw with Tanzania in their opening match, Omar El Maryami's Libya came into this tie eager to bag their first win and they piled early pressure on Kenya from the onset.

Tubal Mohammed should have set the North Africans on the ascendancy inside the opening 10 minutes but wasted a one-on-one chance against Kenya's keeper Patrick Matasi who raced off his line to deny him.

Stars almost took the lead shortly after but Masoud Juma, the domestic top flight top scorer shot straight at Azzaqah Ahmed in the Libyan goal before a shot by winger George Odhiambo fizzled just wide.

In the final flurry in search of the winner, Kenya came close when Duncan Otieno let fly from range from the centre circle that almost caught out the Libyan keeper before defender Jockins Atudo saved the hosts when he cleared Khaled Almaryami's lob off the line.

In an earlier Group A match played at the same venue, Zanzibar beat Rwanda 3-1 to move to second place in the group with 3 points. Enditem