CHAN 2024: Angola Coach Sends Message to Benni McCarthy, Harambee Stars After Exit
- Angola's coach has sent a message to Harambee Stars following their qualification for the CHAN quarter-finals
- The Palancas Negras lost to DR Congo in their final group match, bidding the tournament goodbye on Thursday, August 14
- Kenya will face Zambia on Sunday in their final Group A game and then wait to discover their next opponent
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Angola coach Pedro Gocalves has sent a message to Benni McCarthy and Harambee Stars following their elimination from CHAN 2024.
Source: Twitter
Angola are the latest team to exit CHAN 2024 following their painful defeat to DR Congo on Thursday, August 14.
The Palancas Negras were aiming to avoid defeat to keep their quarter-final hopes alive, but it wasn't to be.
How did Angola perform at CHAN 2024?
Angola were making their fifth appearance at the tournament after participating in the 2011, 2016, 2018, and 2022 editions.
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They failed to advance past the group stage in 2022 and fell short again in East Africa.
They were placed in Group A alongside co-hosts Kenya, DR Congo, Morocco, and Zambia.
In their first game, they faced two-time CHAN winners Morocco and lost 2-0 at Nyayo Stadium on August 3. In their second match, they face Benni McCarthy's Harambee Stars at Kasarani.
They dominated the hosts in the early stages and were 1-0 up after just seven minutes. Kenya equalised minutes later, thanks to Austine Odhiambo, who converted a spot kick.
In the 20th minute, Marvin Nabwire was sent off for denying a goalscoring opportunity. Incredibly, Angola laid siege to the Kenyan goal but failed to capitalise on their advantage. They settled for a 1-1 draw.
They registered a 2-1 win over Zambia in their third match and needed to beat DR Congo to survive.
They failed to capitalise on their dominance on Thursday and lost the contest in the second half.
What did Angola coach say to Kenya?
After Kenya held Angola to a frustrating 1-1 draw, their coach, Pedro Gonçalves, appeared to call out Harambee Stars for their 'time-wasting' tactics.
After they were knocked out of the tournament, he sent a congratulatory message to Kenya and Benni McCarthy.
"Congratulations to Kenya and Benni McCarthy. They have produced great performances so far, with luck as well. If you watch our game against Kenya, it's not only because they played 70 minutes; we dominated the first 20 minutes. They deserve to be there. Between Morocco and DR Congo, whoever advances have the potential to win," he told reporters.
Kenya faces Zambia in their final group match on Sunday, hoping to finish top and perhaps secure a favourable draw.
Can Kenya win CHAN 2024?
Benni McCarthy's Harambee Stars have done incredibly well so far. They have beaten former champions DR Congo and favourites Morocco.
Source: Twitter
McCarthy criticised his players for their slow starts, but they've shown significant improvement as the tournament has progressed.
Against Morocco and Angola, they delivered stellar defensive performances despite being reduced to 10 men.
CHAN 2024 favourites
Kenya will have to beat the likes of Tanzania, Uganda, Morocco, Algeria, and Sudan to win the competition.
Apart from Kenya, who will be seeking to win it on home soil in the August 30 final, there are other perennial heavyweights on the continent.
Defending champions Senegal are still firmly in the race after one win and a draw.
Last edition's finalists, Algeria, started on a high note by beating Uganda 3-0, but have since dropped points in their subsequent two matches.
"It was a tough match, on a demanding pitch. We lacked physical freshness and finishing efficiency. We had chances to ‘kill’ the game and didn’t take them. In African domestic football, finishing is still an area that needs improvement,” said Algeria coach Magid Bougherra after their draw to Guinea as quoted by CAF website.
Kenya given strict deadline by CAF
In a related story, we reported that CAF gave Kenya a deadline to pay millions of shillings in fines for security breaches during CHAN 2024.
Kenya has until early October to pay fines of KSh 12.8 million for security lapses witnessed during the tournament.
Harambee Stars' matches could be relocated if the relevant authorities cannot address the issue.
Martin Moses, head of sports, contributed to this article by adding details about CHAN 2024 favourites.
Proofreading by Asher Omondi, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
