Harambee Stars beat Moroccan Lions, storm to quarters

Brave and defiant Harambee Stars were at the best of their defensive steel, beating the fancied Atlas Lions of Morocco 1-0 in an explosive Group A match at a sold-out Kasarani Stadium to storm to the quarterfinals.

Harambee Stars were reduced to 10 men in the first half but gallantly matched the opponents – toe for toe in the first half before retreating to defend their territory in the second stanza to record history on home soil.

And it was attacker Ryan Wesley Ogam who broke the deadlock when he held his nerves to calmly rifle past Moroccan goalie Al Harrar in the 35th minute, driving the partisan Kasarani crowd into delirium.

Kenya was reduced to 10 men, for the second game running, after Chrisphine Erambo was shown a red card after a lengthy VAR review, for a lunge on the opponent.

With a man down, Coach Benni McCarthy made a tactical change, bringing in defensive midfielder Alpha Onyango for Edward Omondi Otieno.

Moroccan coach Tarek Sektioui also responded to the dice throwing in Sabir Bougrine for Mohamed Moufid while also summoning the fresh legs of Youssef Mehri.

Two minutes after the break, Morocco, now enjoying a numerical advantage, nearly drew level but substitute Youssef Mehri put his shot inches wide, with a fully stretched Bryne Omondi well beaten.

For this game, Coach McCarthy made sweeping changes from the squad that held Angola to a 1-1 draw. Ogam was picked to start upfront after a bench starting berth in the last game. Equally, Bandari man Mohammed Siraj got his first start in the championship alongside Lewis Bandi while skipper Abud Omar and Alphonce Omija dropped to the bench.

The first half was fiery, with the Atlas Lions dictating the tempo in the first 10minutes, but when Kenya cooled her nerves and the roaring crowd got behind them, they took the Lions head on, Ogam’s opener driving the crowd into a frenzy.

A number down and now disadvantaged, Boniface Muchiri, pulled a trick out of his bag, dribbling forcefully into the Moroccan box in the second half, only to be shoved down. What followed was a penalty award, before the centre referee Vincent Kabore consulted the VAR, before annuling his earlier call.

With the win, Harambee Stars players and technical bench members are Ksh.1 million richer, following a pledge by President William Ruto. They beat DR Congo by a similar scoreline in their opening game before drawing 1-1 with Angola.

The mood in the stadium was upbeat – from the Pozman dance – to claps and cheers, the crowd got behind the team, which will now have a week of rest before facing Zambia in their final group game on Sunday, at the same venue.