Angola vs Kenya: 3 Dramatic Moments That Saved Harambee Stars in CHAN 2024

Harambee Stars made life difficult for themselves but ensured their African Nations Championship (CHAN) quarterfinal chances were not extinguished with a gritty 1-1 draw against Angola on Thursday night.

With 10 men on the pitch for over 70 minutes, Benni McCarthy's team weighed determination against hair-raising gambles that would have ended their campaign early.

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Pulse Sports looks at three thing that kept the dream of Kenya alive.

The evening at a full MISC Kasarani Stadium was turned on its head in the 21st minute when midfielder Marvin Nabwire was given a straight red card for a dangerous tackle.

Sending a man down so early against a physical, attacking Angolan side was tantamount to tactical self-harm. The absence of that box-to-box midfielder disrupted Kenya's shape and necessitated McCarthy to re-arrange his team on the fly.

But instead of wilting, the Stars tapped deep reservoirs of resilience. The midfield doubled up, limiting space and driving Angola wide, where their threat diminished. Each errant pass or missed tackle was like waiting to happen, but the Kenyan defense remained as one.

The decision to hold tight and counter where they might showed discipline and bravery. While the red card would have ruined them, emerging from it still intact was the foundation for the resurgence of an all-important point.

Harambee Stars head coach Benni McCarthy made a confession after the match where he revealed how close Kenya was to losing everything on the counter.

We launched a counter-attack, our right pass for us found its way in the back of the net, but we made the wrong choice. They went down the other side and scored," he concluded.

Austine Odhiambo's 12th-minute penalty was enough to get the equalizer, but the Stars kept putting numbers forward despite the expulsion.

With fewer forwards, every forward thrust was a high-stakes gamble—lose the ball and Angola had acres to burn.

That gamble almost paid off in the wrong direction when Angola scored late in the game, only to have VAR intervene.

Nevertheless, those counterattacks were not futile lunges; they were strategic moments to relieve pressure and create goal-scoring opportunities.

The willingness to attack, even with 10 men, made Angola's defence fight tooth and nail and did not permit them to drive Kenya fully into their own half.

Perhaps the most thrilling moment of the night was when Angola thought they had pinched all three points.

A late blow placed their players in party mood before VAR ruled it out for offside. The decision, made by McCarthy himself, hinged on an Angolan striker blocking a defender from an unlawful position. It was the kind of marginal decision that can win or lose a tournament campaign.

Kenya's defenders, stretched and strained, were committed to tackles, interceptions, and clearances. Goalkeeper saves and panicked blocks were as good as the VAR ruling.