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- The final fixture of Group A – Kenya vs Zambia – was played on Sunday at the 48,000-seater Moi International Sports Centre (MISC) Kasarani
- Heading into Sunday’s match, CAF reduced the fan attendance at Moi International Sports Centre to no more than 60 per cent capacity (27,000)
The final fixture of Group A – Kenya vs Zambia – was played on Sunday at the 48,000-seater Moi International Sports Centre (MISC) Kasarani.
Kenya, who had already booked their spot in the quarterfinals of the 2024 African Nations Championship (CHAN), needed victory to finish top of Group A and avoid clashing with co-hosts Tanzania in the knockouts.
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After 75 minutes of action at Kasarani, Harambee Stars eventually took the lead against Zambia, thanks to Ryan Ogam’s beautiful strike. The long awaited goal saw Kenya finish top of their group and book a quarterfinal clash against Madagascar at the same venue.
Kenya secured a 1-0 win over Zambia in their final fixture of Group A. Harambee Stars have finished the group stages unbeaten having recorded three wins and one draw. Photo/ K24 Digital.
Kenya have ended their successful group stage campaign with ten points, followed by Morocco who have nine. The Democratic Republic of Congo are third with six points followed by Angola on four points and Zambia have zero point after losing all four matches.
Group A was considered “Group of Death” of CHAN 2024 and Kenya was not among the favorites to advance to the knockouts of the tournament. However, support from fans and motivation from President William Ruto have played a significant role in their run to the knockouts.
The head of state had promised every member of Harambee Stars Ksh 2.5 million if they beat Zambia. He fulfilled his earlier promise of giving the players Ksh 1 million for every win and Ksh 500,000 for every draw in the group stage. Prior to Sunday’s Kenya vs Zambia fixture, each player had received a total of Ksh 2.5 million following the wins against Democratic Republic of Congo (1-0), Morocco (1-0) and the draw against Angola (1-1).
Kenya Vs Zambia Match Highlights
Heading into Sunday’s match, CAF reduced the fan attendance at Moi International Sports Centre to no more than 60 per cent capacity (27,000). This was one of the punishments CAF slapped on Kenya due to a security breach at the same venue during Harambee Stars match against Morocco, where thousands of fans overran security barriers and entered the stadium without valid tickets.
There was also overcrowding beyond capacity, with the total number of fans at Kasarani estimated to be more than 70,000. To prevent a disaster like the one witnessed when Kenya faced Morocco, security was heightened around the stadium, with police patrolling on horseback.
Harambee Stars played the match against Zambia with no more than 27,000 fans present at Moi International Sports Centre (MISC) Kasarani. This was one of the punishments handed to Kenya by African football governing body CAF after a security breach during Kenya’s match against Morocco. Photo/ Nairobi Leo.
Despite many seats remaining unoccupied, the fans at the stadium kept the atmosphere lively with vibrant songs, tapping of the seats and Mexican waves. President Ruto and ODM leader Raila Amolo Odinga were among those supporting the boys in red from the stands.
Harambee Stars head coach Benni McCarthy made a string of changes to his starting XI, including replacing goalkeeper Bryne Odhiambo with Farouk Shikalo and bringing back talisman Austine Odhiambo, who missed the match against Morocco. The hosts created several chances in the first half but were not lucky enough to find the opener in the first 45 minutes of the game.
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However, they were a bit sluggish in the second half and McCarthy made the right substitutions, bringing on Boniface Muchiri and Masoud Juma. Muchiri created a lot of chaos in the opposition box before Ryan Ogam scored the goal that secured victory for Harambee Stars in the 75th minute.
