Rising Stars Coach Breaks Silence on What Went Wrong for Rising Stars Against Morocco in AFCON Debut

Rising Stars assistant coach Anthony Akhulia has shed light on what went wrong for the Kenyan U20 national football team in their opening fixture against Morocco at the ongoing U20 AFCON in Cairo.

The Kenyan youngsters suffered a 3-2 defeat at the hands of the North African nation in their maiden AFCON outing at the 30 June Stadium on Thursday.

Rising Stars impressed, but their undoing ultimately came in the 78th minute when Reda Laalaoui slotted home Morocco’s third goal and eventual winner.

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Akhulia, who deputizes head coach Salim Babu, explained what ultimately led to Rising Stars’ downfall.

“We played well. It’s unfortunate that we lost the match. We created numerous scoring chances that we didn’t really take,” said Akhulia, as quoted by People Daily.

“We didn’t defend well. We gave in. Looking at the way we conceded two goals, the defense was caught napping, and we really didn’t react quickly to situations. I can call them cheap goals,” he added, breaking down what became Rising Stars’ undoing.

The AFCON debutants did well to snatch the opener through a Lawrence Ouma set piece in the 16th minute.

However, they yielded the lead in the dying minutes of first-half stoppage time.

The second half saw the Salim Babu-coached side trail 2-1 before Hassan Beja leveled the scores, but the Kenyan youngsters could not hold on for a draw, ultimately losing 3-2.

Akhulia, who also coaches FKF Premier League side Bidco United, refused to blame their woes on the officiating, which had come under scrutiny during the game.

“I won’t really comment on it, but I think the referee did her work. On our side, we were supposed to take our chances and win the match. We were supposed to win the match. That’s my take,” he said.

Akhulia and his charges will need to recuperate quickly ahead of their next clash against Tunisia on Sunday, before taking on Nigeria on Wednesday, May 7.

Kenya currently have 0 points and the same goal difference as Tunisia, who suffered a 1-0 loss to Nigeria. Both Nigeria and Morocco have three points in Group B.