All eyes are on the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani, as Kenya and Morocco square off in a crucial CHAN 2025 Group A encounter.
It was an intense start, with no real danger yet, but both teams showed great intensity!
Fans' reactions
FULLTIME: Game ends, 10-man Harambee Stars beats two-time champion Morocco 1-0. This means Stars become the second team to secure a spot in the quarters after Tanzania. It also means that Stars are also Sh1 million richer courtesy of President William Ruto.
Injury time: Referee adds 7 minutes extra as the game goes beyond 90 minutes with Kenya still leading by a solitary goal.
77th minute: Stars Coach Benni McCarthy makes another tactical substitution, bringing out midfielders for defenders: Captain Aboud Omar comes in for S. Mohammed and B. Sakari(Defender) for B. S Omondi( midfielder)
75th minute: As we enter the final 15 minutes of the game, Stars maintain their defensive shape. Harambee Stars still lead by a goal to nil.
70th minute: Kenya changes tactics, playing more defensively to secure their slender lead as Morocco keeps knocking on to find an equaliser.
64th minute: More substitutions, for Kenya: A. Omija in for B. Muchiri and D. Sakwa in for Stars' goal scorer Wesley Ogam. For Morocco: O Lamlahoui in for B. Arrassi.
4:10 pm: Muchiri, on the right, received the pass, ran, and was brought down by Louadni, with the referee awarding the penalty on the field. The players were already preparing to take the shot, but VAR called, and the play was ruled outside the box! Muchiri's shot deflected off the wall, rising for the defense to clear on the line!
59th minute: No penalty!After VAR check referee awards Kenya a direct free kick taken by Wesley Ogam. Kenya still leads by one goal.
55th minute: VAR, checking if penalty can stand and if there was enough contact to bring down Muchiri and if the foul happened inside the box.
Second Half Substitution: At halftime, both teams made changes. Kenya's Omondi was replaced by Onyango. Morocco's Ourkane and Mahraoui were replaced by Bougrine and Mehri. Mehri, who had just come on, fired a powerful shot from outside the box, sending the ball wide to the right of the goal!
End of first half: With a goal from Ogam, Kenya goes into half-time beating Morocco 1-0, adding three more points in this group stage of the African Cup of Nations, but will have a tense second half with one less player after Erambo's sending off!
Fans' reactions
HALFTIME: Both teams head into their changing rooms with Stars leading by a goal to nil, but with one man less.
3:46 pm: Red Card after VAR check Harambee Stars Midfielder C Erambo is red carded, leaving Stars with one man less as the match heads into halftime with Stars leading by a solitary goal scored by Wesley Ogam in the 42nd minute.
3:45 pm: VAR checking possible red card incident for Harambee Stars player C. Erambo.
Goal For Kenya at 3:40 pm: In a brilliant counterattack, Omondi received the pass and found Muchiri at the edge of the box. He shot, blocked by the defense, and the ball fell to Ogam, who hit the ball into the right corner, sending it into the back of the net, opening the scoring for Kenya!
3:35: El Mahraoui received the pass up front and struck hard, sending the ball into the middle of the goal, into the hands of Odhiambo, who kept it without rebounding. Morocco began to maintain possession in the attacking half, exchanging passes and trying to control the match.
3:30 pm: Arrasi, for a heavy tackle on Ogam in midfield, received a yellow card for the foul. And soon after, Okwaro took a powerful shot from outside the box, deflecting it, sending the ball out to the left for a corner kick, which was cleared into the box by the defense.
3:25 pm: The game continues at a high pace, with both teams trying to create danger in attack. Both teams now try to maintain possession and exchange passes, but without slowing down the pace. Instead, they constantly accelerate the game, but without many shots on goal.
3:20 pm: The game was temporarily stopped for treatment to Mouloua, who felt pain after a tackle in midfield. He left the field after doctors cleared it for El Kaabi, the first change of the match, forced by an injury.
3:15 pm: On the right, Kenya had a free kick, which was cleared into the box, but the defense cleared it for a corner kick, this time on the left. The corner was taken, the ball was left in the mix, and the shot came, blocked by the Moroccan defense, which cleared the ball away shortly after.
3:10 pm: At the edge of the box, Morocco had a free kick, taken in the box by Riahi, who came and deflected it in the confusion, leaving it to Maouloua, who managed to shoot, with the ball hitting Odhiambo and hitting the post, to be cleared in the small area for the Kenyan defense to clear!
At the 5th minute, Kenya's start to the game saw them press and threaten in the attacking half, even winning a corner kick, which the Moroccan defence cleared away.
