CHAN: Kenya hold on once again with ten men to stun Morocco

2024 African Nations Championship (CHAN) co-hosts are the surprise leaders of Group A after taking down group favorites Morocco on Sunday in a 1-0 victory at the Kasarani Stadium in Nairobi.

Ryan Ogam produced an excellent finish toward the end of the first half shortly before the Harambee Stars were reduced to ten players due to Chris Erambo’s red card. However, Kenya managed the game in the second half and held off waves of Moroccan attacks to secure a massive victory.

The teams fought to what was looking like a first half stalemate until an eventful end to the opening 45 minutes. In the 42nd minute, Ben Stanley Omondi received a pass from the left wing and drove towards goal. Omondi’s shot attempt was deflected over to Ogam, who collected at the edge of the penalty area and fired a powerful low effort beyond the reach of Morocco goalkeeper El Mehdi Al Harrar.

Soon after, a reckless challenge from Erambo saw his studs rake the shin of Anas El Mahraoui, prompting a VAR review that resulted in a red card in first half stoppage time.

But as seen in previous games at the competition, a red card did not guarantee defeat for the team penalized and Kenya continued the trend. Morocco struggled to break down a packed Harambee Stars penalty area that reduced the Atlas Lions to hopeful crosses and limited space to operate in the final third.

The few clever moments from the Moroccan attack created opportunities for Sabir Bougrine and Youssef Belammari in the final half hour, but both players fired their shot attempts over the goal. Sunday’s defeat marked Morocco’s first loss at the African Nations Championship since January 2016 when they fell to Ivory Coast at the edition hosted by Rwanda.

The final whistle arrived to the delight of home supporters, whose Harambee Stars are now on the verge of qualifying for the quarterfinals. Kenya finishes up their group stage fixtures next Sunday against Zambia, who finish up Sunday’s action against Angola. Morocco next take on Zambia on Thursday.

Group A Table

1. Kenya- 7 points (3 games)
2. Morocco- 3 points (2 games)
3. DR Congo- 3 points (2 games)
4. Angola- 1 point (2 games)
5. Zambia- 0 points (1 game)