Ten-man Kenya showcased nerve and resilience on Thursday night, earning a hard-fought 1-1 draw against Angola in a pulsating Group A encounter at the TotalEnergies CHAN Pamoja 2024 tournament at Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani.
A boisterous home crowd watched in disbelief as midfielder Marvin Nabwire was controversially dismissed in the 21st minute, following a VAR review that upgraded his yellow to red. Yet, despite playing with a numerical disadvantage for over 70 minutes, the Harambee Stars held their ground to remain unbeaten.
Angola struck early, with Jó Paciência finishing off a slick attacking move in the seventh minute to silence the Kenyan fans. But parity was restored just five minutes later when Austin Odhiambo converted a penalty awarded after another VAR intervention confirmed a foul on him in the box.
The Gor Mahia midfielder kept his cool, tucking home his second goal of the tournament to reignite the crowd and breathe life into Benni McCarthy’s side.
Reduced to ten, Kenya switched gears – defending deep, pressing smartly, and relying heavily on the sharp reflexes of goalkeeper Byrne Omondi. The custodian pulled off critical saves in both halves, including two close-range stops to deny Angola a winner.
Angola appeared to have snatched all three points in added time when Kaporal tapped in a rebound, but the goal was chalked off for offside after a dramatic third VAR call.
The draw places Kenya atop Group A with four points from two matches. Angola, with one point, face a must-win clash against DR Congo, while Kenya can seal a historic quarter-final berth with a result against Morocco.
Coach McCarthy hailed his team’s “immense character,” calling the result “a turning point in our CHAN journey.”
