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2024 CHAN: Kenya coach Benni McCarthy says Zambia clash is a must-win game

Kenya national team head coach Benni McCarthy has rallied his troops to finish off the group stage matches of the TotalEnergies African Nations Championship (CHAN) in style when they face Zambia in their final Group A fixture at Kasarani Stadium on Sunday.

The East African nation’s journey in their debut campaign in the CHAN took another historic step on Friday after they secured qualification to the quarter-finals with a match to spare.

This was after Morocco overcame Zambia, while DR Congo edged past Angola.

These outcomes left Morocco and DR Congo on six points each, with Zambia and Angola officially eliminated from the tournament.

Ahead of their fixture against the Chipolopolo, the South African legend stressed the importance of winning the game to cap off their superb performances in the group stages so far.

Kenya have proved their worth so far“Goals and targets that we set for ourselves at the start of the tournament, when everybody said we are in the Group of Death, we were probably zero points, but after three games we found ourselves sitting on top of the mountain, and now we want to really enjoy playing our football, and finish the group matches on a high,” said McCarthy.

“Tomorrow (Sunday), is a game where it is a must win for us, we are not focusing on qualifying because we have already qualified, it is just to finish off the good campaign that we have already had so far and I will say to the players in order to be the best, you need to beat the best, and I think we have already proved throughout the group stages with DR Congo, Angola, and Morocco matches.

”Kenya's players in trainingFKF MediaMcCarthy added: “According to me, these were the favourite teams that could have gone all the way and win CHAN, and that is how I view it, and for us to be where we are, we want to make a statement by winning against Zambia, so that no one says it was by luck that we managed to do well in the opening matches.

”Asked whether he will rotate his squad for the Chipolopolo game, McCarthy responded: “I have a lot of belief in the players, and I believe in their quality, so I try to give everybody an opportunity to get some minutes, sometimes it is not easy, especially when you play two games with red cards.

“It becomes extremely difficult to try and give everybody an opportunity to play, but we try to rotate the squad as much as we can, so that every player can get the opportunity to play, but like I said, they select themselves with how they perform during training sessions.

”Kenya will top group with Zambia winHarambee kicked off their campaign in style, defeating DR Congo 1-0 in the opening match before grinding out a hard-fought 1-1 draw against Angola in the second game.

In their third outing, they stunned Morocco with a decisive 1-0 victory, moving to the top of the group with seven points.

A draw for Kenya against Zambia, and a win for two-time CHAN champions Morocco, who are currently lying second, will mean Kenya finishes with eight points, while the Atlas Lions will wrap up the group campaign with nine points.

If DR Congo manages to beat Morocco, then they will also finish on nine points.

Kenya's players in trainingFKF MediaZambia have endured their worst performance in the CHAN, losing the opening three matches to exit the stage.

The Chipolopolo suffered a 3-1 defeat to Morocco on Friday, having earlier lost 2-0 to the Democratic Republic of Congo and 2-1 against Angola.

With Kenya having already beaten both Morocco and DR Congo in the head-to-head matchups, the tournament’s tie-break rules guarantee the Stars’ progression regardless of the results in the final round of group fixtures.

A win for Harambee Stars against Zambia, will not only seal first place in Group A but also maintain their unbeaten run going into the last eight.

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