Africa-Press – Rwanda. Kenya confirmed their dominance in Group A of the African Nations Championship (CHAN) 2024 after a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Zambia at a packed Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani on Sunday, August 17.
Ryan Ogam’s decisive strike midway through the second half ensured the Harambee Stars finished unbeaten at the summit of the group, while Zambia exited the competition without a single point.
With Morocco beating DR Congo 3-1 in the simultaneous fixture, both Kenya and Morocco progressed to the quarter-finals, leaving the Leopards stranded in third place.
Kenya will stay in Nairobi to play Madagascar in the quarter-final on Friday while Morocco travel to face Tanzania in the other last eight match.
The match was finely balanced until the 75th minute, when substitute Boniface Muchiri found space on the right and delivered a clever ball into the area. Ogam controlled well before calmly slotting past Charles Kalumba in the Zambian goal to send the 27,000-strong Nairobi crowd into raptures.
Meanwhile, two-time champions Morocco sealed their place in the quarter-finals of CHAN 2024 with a 3-1 victory over DR Congo at the Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi.
The result confirmed the Atlas Lions’ progress alongside hosts Kenya, who defeated Zambia 1-0 in the other Group A fixture to finish top of the standings.
Coming into the final day of group action, the stakes could not have been higher. Morocco and DR Congo, both two-time winners of CHAN, were tied on six points apiece, while Kenya held a slim advantage with seven points.
Morocco needed a draw to advance, while DR Congo had to win to keep their hopes alive.
The Leopards began with urgency but fell behind after just eight minutes when Oussama Lamlaoui tapped home from close range following Youssef Belammari’s cross.
It was the ideal start for the Atlas Lions, but the Congolese responded well. Their persistence paid off in the 43rd minute when Jephté Kitambala bundled in an equaliser from close range, ensuring the teams went into half-time level at 1-1.
The turning point came in the 66th minute when Magloire Ntambwe fouled Khalid Baba inside the penalty area.
With DR Congo forced to chase the game, gaps began to appear in their backline. In the 80th minute, Lamlaoui struck again, calmly finishing a cut-back from Youssef Mehri to make it 3-1.
Harambee Stars finished with 10 points, one ahead of Morocco’s nine.
That meant Morocco advanced as runners-up, while DR Congo’s six points were not enough to secure progression in such a competitive group.
Angola, on four points, and winless Zambia completed the standings.
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