CHAN 2024: Possible Teams Harambee Stars Could Face in Quarter-Finals after Morocco Win
- Harambee Stars took a huge step towards qualifying for CHAN 2024 quarter-finals after beating Morocco 1-0 on August 10
- Morocco were the overwhelming favourites to win the game, but Benni McCarthy engineered another brilliant result
- We take a look at the possible teams Kenya could face in the quarter-finals as they chase confirmation into the last 8 this week
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Kenya's men's national football team, Harambee Stars, are a heartbeat away from securing their place in the quarterfinals of the African Nations Championships.
Source: Getty Images
Ryan Ogam scored the only goal of the game as Kenya produced a stunning result to beat tournament favourites, Morocco, at a sold-out Kasarani Stadium.
Kenya were forced to play with 10 men for the second game running after Chrispine Erambo was sent off for a reckless challenge just before halftime.
However, just like they did against Angola on Thursday, Benni McCarthy's charges dug deep to hand Morocco their first defeat at the competition since 2016.
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"This victory, we owe it to the fans. So, I'm just beyond grateful, you know, that you have a team that leaves everything out on the field. No one thought about that they were tired and they couldn't, you know, they just pushed and whatever they had left within them," said McCarthy after the game.
"They showed the Kenyan athletic spirit today on the football field. Yeah, I think we deserved, we deserved the win. As much as they had 90% of the ball, but at the end of the day, three points was ours."
It was a result that almost secured Kenya's spot in the quarter-finals, but after Angola beat Zambia 2-1 in the second game of the day, held at Nyayo, Harambee Stars will have to wait.
CHAN Group A standings
After wins over DR Congo and Morocco and a draw against Angola, Kenya now leads the group with seven points.
Angola's win over Zambia takes them to four points with three games played. Morocco and DR Congo have three points apiece with two games played.
Zambia are rooted at the bottom with 0 points after playing twice.
Has Kenya qualified for CHAN quarter-finals?
Not yet. Angola's win over Zambia means that the southern African nation can still catch up with Kenya and surpass them. Same as one of Morocco or the DR Congo.
Harambee Stars need just a point against Zambia in their last game to secure their last-8 spot. A win will see them win Group A outright.
Source: Getty Images
Possible teams Kenya could face in the quarter-finals
Winning the group would be so important for the Aboud Omar-captained side as they will play their quarter-final match at Kasarani Stadium.
Group A winner will face the runners-up in Group B in Nairobi. At the moment, Tanzania are on course to win Group B after winning all their first three matches.
Mauritania are second with four points (three games), Burkina Faso has three points (two games), Madagascar has one point (two games), while the Central African Republic have zero points after playing two games.
Should Kenya finish on top in their group, they could likely face one of Mauritania, Burkina Faso or Madagascar.
However, should they finish second, then a trip down to the Benjamin Mkapa National Stadium in Dar es Salaam to face the hosts awaits.
Who could Kenya face in CHAN semi-finals?
Should they get to the semi-finals, they will face one of the teams from Groups C and D. The current leading teams include Algeria and the defending champions, Senegal.
One semi-final will be played in Dar es Salaam, while the other one will be played in Namboole, Uganda.
The final will be in Nairobi on August 30.
Kenya risk fine after Kasarani Stadium chaos
Kenya has been fined yet again by CAF following the widespread chaos witnessed on Sunday during the Morocco game.
Hundreds of fans accessed the stadium without tickets, with some spotted jumping over the wall and the erected barricades.
This is the fourth game in a row that will come under sharp scrutiny after fines in the DR Congo and Angola games.
Proofreading by Jackson Otukho, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
