Kenya, who entered the match undefeated after having beaten DR Congo 1-0 and securing a 1-1 draw against Angola despite playing with ten men, benefited from a goal byRyam Ogam in the 45th minute, raising their points in Group A to seven and putting them one step closer to the knockout stages. However, they were compelled to play the entire second half with ten men after Chrispine Erambo was sent off.
Harambee Stars coach Benni McCarthy made a daring choice by benching several key players from the lineup that faced Angola, including captain Aboud Omar, right-back Daniel Sakari, Alphonce Omija, midfield star Austin Odhiambo, who had scored against two-time CHAN champions DR Congo in the opener and against Angola, as well as Alpha Onyango.
In their places, the South African legend opted for a blend of fresh talent and tactical adjustments. Siraj Mohammed was brought in at right-back, Mike Kibwage returned as captain to partner Sylvester Owino in central defense, and Lewis Bandi, while Erambo was moved to midfield.
Ben Stanley Omondi started in the playmaker role, while Tusker forward Ryan Ogam replaced Austin Odhiambo, providing a more direct attacking option for Harambee Stars.
Kenya faced an early threat
Kenya faced an early threat in the 10th minute when Kibwage brought down Morocco’s Anas El Mahraoui just outside the 18-yard box. Imad Riahi stepped up to take the free-kick, and the RS Berkane midfielder delivered a brilliant ball that found Khalid Aït Ouarkhane unmarked at the far post.
Ouarkhane responded with a powerful header that hit the back of goalkeeper Bryne Omondi and the post before Kibwage intervened to clear the danger as forward Ayoub Mouloua almost took a shot.
Kenya’s first opportunity of the match came in the 15th minute when a corner taken by Stanley Omondi found Boniface Muchiri at the far post, but he was flagged for offside before he could strike the ball for fouling Anas Bach, who fell and required medical attention after the challenge.
The move by Kenya followed an early substitution by the Atlas Lions, who entered the Group A match unbeaten in five previous encounters with East African teams (three wins, two draws), with injured Mouloua being replaced by Youness El Kaabi.
Morocco’s Bouchaib Arrassi was the first player to receive a yellow card for a reckless foul on Ogam in the 30th minute. From the resulting free-kick, Kenya nearly broke the deadlock when Suleiman Okwaro hit a powerful shot from outside the box, but it deflected off a Moroccan player for a corner that yielded no results.
Ogam put Kenya ahead against the run of play
Kenya took the lead against the flow of the game when Stanley Omondi’s shot was deflected by Marouane Louadni, but the rebound fell to Ogam, who, despite facing six Moroccan defenders, managed to sneak a left-footed shot past El Mehdi Al Harrar to the delight of the large crowd that had come to support the team.
Two minutes after taking the lead, Kenya saw a second player sent off in consecutive matches at the CHAN. After midfielder Marvin Nabwire was dismissed against Angola, Erambo, who was included for his physicality, was sent off following a high boot tackle on El Mahraoui.
As Erambo walked off the pitch looking dejected,Burkina Faso referee Vincent Kabore blew the whistle for the half-time break with Kenya leading 1-0 but down to ten men.
At the beginning of the second half, McCarthy looked to his bench and replaced Edwin Omondi with Alpha Onyango following Erambo’s red card. Before the half could commence, referee Kabore issued a yellow card to McCarthy.
There was a tense moment in the 56th minute when Muchiri received a pass on the right wing, dribbled through but fell inside the box under what appeared to be a challenge from Louadni. The referee awarded a penalty, but after a VAR review, the decision was reversed, with Kenya being awarded a foul outside the box instead.
This was Morocco’s third match against a tournament host, having previously defeated Rwanda 4-1 in 2016 and Cameroon 4-0 in the 2020 semi-finals. Kenya became the 18th different team to face Morocco at CHAN and the fourth from East Africa.
Check out the match summary here.
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