CHAN: Ogam praises Kenya coach McCarthy after scoring

Kenya national team striker Ryan Ogam has heaped praise on head coach Benni McCarthy following the team’s success to qualify for the knockout stages of the Africa Nations Championships (CHAN).

The Tusker forward contributed to Harambee Stars success after he scored the only goal of the game as they floored Zambia 1-0 to finish top of Group A.

“I praise the coach for giving me the chance to be here, and being part of the team,” the 20-year-old said. “It is a great feeling for any player, and maybe I was lucky to be part of it, or maybe I deserved it.”

He added: “This man (McCarthy), I thank him so much, because he is helping us a lot, integrating us as a team, and I would say because he was a key striker too, he is pushing me to get back to my levels, and even more.”

Ogam, who suffered injury last season to miss most part of the campaign, and scored his first goal at CHAN in the 1-0 victory against two-time champions Morocco, added: “It was a difficult season for me I would say, but then it was a learning process. Throughout the injury, my mentality was to come back and play CHAN, and I thank God for this time.”

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.