CHAN: Madagascar’s Rakotondrabe remains cautious on beating Morocco in final

Madagascar coach Romuald Rakotondrabe remained mum when asked if his side will be able to beat Morocco in the final of the TotalEnergies CAF African Nations Championship (CHAN) at Kasarani Stadium on Sunday.

While Madagascar booked their place in a historic first CHAN final after edging Sudan 1-0 in a tense semi-final at the Benjamin Mkapa National Stadium in Dar es Salaam on Tuesday, the Atlas Lions qualified after ending Senegal’s hopes of back-to-back titles by winning 5-3 on penalties after a tense 1-1 draw in Kampala.

Asked whether his team will beat Morocco, Rakotondrabe remained grounded by saying: “I can’t answer the question of whether we can win the title. Beating Sudan doesn’t mean we’ll win the title.

“We lost two players before the final, but despite that, we have several players and we’ll find replacements. I hope there are players who can make a difference on the pitch in the final.”

He added: “We were saying before the semi-final match that we must return to Nairobi, and in fact we will return for the final.”

Before the final showdown, Senegal and Sudan will contest the third-place playoff on Friday at the Mandela National Stadium in Kampala, a chance for both to end their campaigns on a high after valiant semi-final defeats.

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