By Dennis Mabuka
Kenya’s national team head coach Benni McCarthy has urged his players to stay focused as they prepare for the knockout stages of the TotalEnergies African Nations Championship (CHAN) on home soil.
Harambee Stars confirmed their dominance in Group A after a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Zambia at Kasarani Stadium on Sunday.
After a 0-0 first half, Ryan Ogam’s decisive strike midway through the second half ensured that Kenya finished unbeaten at the summit of the group, while Zambia exited the competition without a single point.
Kenya won three matches, drew one, scored four goals and conceded one goal. They started their campaign with a 1-0 defeat against two-time CHAN champions DR Congo, drew 1-1 against Angola, recovered to beat another CHAN winner Morocco, before winding up their preliminary matches with a 1-0 win against Chipolopolo.
With the Atlas Lions beating the Leopards 3-1 in the simultaneous fixture, both Kenya and Morocco progressed to the last eight leaving DR Congo stranded in third place.
Kenya will stay in Nairobi to play Madagascar in the quarterfinal on Friday while Morocco will have to travel to face Tanzania in the other last eight match.
The Kenya versus Zambia game was balanced until the 75th minute, when substitute Boniface Muchiri found space on the right and delivered a clever ball to the Tusker forward, who controlled it, turned in the area and unleashed a powerful shot, leaving no chance for Charles Kalumba.
“I am very happy that the boys have delivered and picked three wins and one draw in the group stage. This has been as a result of hard work and we must remain focused ahead of the quarter final stage,” said McCarthy after the game.
“Zambia was stubborn today; they defended and played very well. But, at the end of the day, when we moved the ball the way that we did, and created the chance for Ryan (Ogam), we scored one goal, yet we would have liked them to be more.”
With Morocco beating DR Congo 3-1 in the simultaneous fixture, both Kenya and Morocco progressed to the quarter-finals, leaving the Leopards stranded in third place.
Kenya will stay in Nairobi to play Madagascar in the quarter-final on Friday while Morocco travel to face Tanzania in the other last eight match.
On avoiding Tanzania in the last eight, the South African legend said: “Tanzania will get their wish, and they will experience what we experienced. The group of death, now Morocco is heading to Tanzania. I want feedback after the Morocco game, so that they know what we went through every game in this tournament. Good luck to Tanzania.
“At the end of the day, I am happy with the win because we get to play our next match in the quarter finals, and we stay in Kenya, and that is all that is important.”
With Kenya’s win and Morocco edging DR Congo, the Harambee Stars topped Group A with 10 points, Morocco followed closely with nine, while DR Congo’s six were not enough to progress. Angola finished fourth on four points, and Zambia exited bottom with none. (Photos: LOC POOL)
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