The 2024 African Nations Championship (CHAN) roared to life on Sunday in Nairobi as host nation Kenya and continental powerhouse Morocco made perfect starts to their Group A campaigns with impressive victories over DR Congo and Angola, respectively.
At a buzzing Moi International Sports Centre, the Harambee Stars scripted a memorable debut, edging two-time champions DR Congo 1-0 in a tightly-contested encounter.
Kenya’s historic win was sealed in first-half stoppage time when Austin Odhiambo calmly finished off a precise pass from David Sakwa, guiding his shot past Brudel Efonge to send the home crowd into wild celebrations.
DR Congo had thought they had found the opener early in the game when Jephté Kitambala struck in the 5th minute, but their celebrations were cut short as VAR confirmed an offside in the build-up.
Over at Nyayo National Stadium, Morocco kicked off their pursuit of a third CHAN title in dominant fashion with a 2-0 win over Angola.
Imad Riahi opened the scoring with a stunning long-range strike in the first half, before Angola’s Kinito inadvertently doubled the advantage for the Atlas Lions with an own goal in the second period.
The win extends Morocco’s unbeaten run in CHAN group stage matches to 14 and reinforces their status as title favorites.
Meanwhile, Angola’s struggles in the competition continued, they are now without a win in five straight CHAN fixtures, leaving them with work to do as they head into their next match.
With the first round of matches concluded, Kenya and Morocco sit at the summit of Group A with three points each.
Zambia, yet to play, remain in contention, while DR Congo and Angola will be eager to bounce back in their upcoming fixtures. The stage is set for a thrilling group phase as the battle for knockout qualification intensifies.
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