CHAN: Kenya eyes firmly on Madagascar game – Sakari

Kenya national team defender Daniel Sakari has explained their focus is to reach the semifinals of the TotalEnergies African Nations (CHAN) by beating Madagascar in the quarterfinals on Friday.

Ahead of the fixture at Kasarani Stadium, Harambee Stars topped Group A with 10 points to reach the knockout stages, Madagascar finished second in Group B with seven points to qualify. Kenya and Madagascar will be meeting for the first time at the CHAN tournament.

Sakari insists the team will not allow the occasion or outside noise to cloud their focus. “We’re not distracted by the noise from fans or social media,” said the Kenya Police FC right-back as quoted by CAFOnline.com.

“Our eyes are firmly on the game. We’ve analysed Madagascar and we know what to expect. The target is clear: to get a result and reach the semifinals. We’ll play to our strengths and exploit their weaknesses.”

Kenya started their campaign with a 1-0 win against DR Congo, before securing a 1-1 draw against Angola. They recovered to beat Morocco 1-0 despite playing with 10 men before rounding off their group matches with a 1-0 win against Zambia.

This will be Kenya’s third meeting with a COSAFA member nation at CHAN after a 1-1 draw with Angola and a 1-0 win over Zambia in the group stage.nMcCarthy and Kenya will be aiming to become the first debutants since Madagascar in 2022 to reach the semifinals.