Nairobi — Harambee Stars head coach Engin Firat and skipper Michael Olunga have hugely praised the Kenyan community living in Qatar for the massive support they showed last Thursday, as Kenya beat the Qataris 2-1 in a friendly match at the Al Janoub Stadium in Doha.

An estimated number of 11,000 Kenyans showed up at the stadium to cheer on the stars, who won via a last minute goal by Amos Nondi, but it was the carnival mood created by the Kenyans in Doha that dominated headlines.

"I had lost a little bit hope about this team but the people in Qatar gave me back that hope and I want to thank them. They didn't care whether we win or lose but it was all about what we do on the pitch," Firat said.

He added; "We need this kind of patriotism and this is what real football fans do. We don't need people in stadium here or somewhere only talking on social media. We need people who believe in their country and people who support their players. This is what we need, this is what is important. If they really love their national team and are patriots, they should support it."

Skipper Michael Olunga, who plays his club football in Qatar with champions AL Duhail, and was one of the main crowd pullers in the game, was also delighted with the support they received in Qatar.

"I want to say thanks to the Kenyans in Qatar for coming out to support our team and this shows there is a lot of interest among Kenyans trying to support the team. It gave us a good momentum and a good boost because when you give the fans out there, you want to give 100percent," Olunga said.

The skipper now hopes the same can be replicated at the Kasarani Stadium on Tuesday when they play South Sudan and has called on fans to turn out in large numbers to push the team as they close out the FIFA international friendly window.