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Harambee Stars continued to make history with their impressive run in their debut African Nations Championship (CHAN) by winning their last group A game against Zambia.
The stakes were high for Benni McCarthy's men who made their intention to win the game clear from the start.
Attacking with intention and defending with precision, Harambee Stars played with flair, outshining Zambia’s Chipolopolo.
Fans cheered on with hope that it was only a matter of time before Harambee Stars’ efforts were rewarded with a goal as Kenya outclassed Zambia.
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Harambee Stars dominated the match, taking control of the game from the final whistle to the final one in brilliant display of football that saw Rambok Ryan Wesley Ogam find the back of the net in the 75th minute.
Ryan Ogam in action during the Harambee Stars clash against Zambia at the African Nations Championship
Kenya finished at the helm of the group with 10 points and will play Madagascar in the quarter-final with Morocco setting up a date with Tanzania’s Taifa Stars in Dares Salaam.
The victory saw the squad walk out of the pitch Sh2.5 million richer, with each player and member of the technical bench having bagged Sh5million each.
President William Ruto promised Sh1million to each member of the quad for every win and half the amount for every draw, but raised the amount to Sh2.5 million in Kenya’s final group match.
Key moments in Kenya’s historic run in CHAN 2024
Kenya was grouped alongside continental soccer giants including Morocco and Democratic Republic of Congo that have each won CHAN twice.
The group also had Zambia and Angola whose exploits in continental football far exceeds that of Kenya.
Many thought the fate of Kenya was sealed and few believed it could make it to quarter-final, let alone finishing on top of the group.
Harambee Stars shining over DRC
A well-deserved victory over DRC in the opening match helped in silencing some critics with patriotic Kenyans rooting for the national team.
Austin Odhiambo was the man behind the strike that put a smile on the face of many and earned the team its first million.
Next in line was Angola and Benni McCarthy's men sweated it out, squeezing a well-deserved 1-1 draw after they were reduced to 10 men in the 21st minute.
Jo Pacienca found the back of the net for Angola in the 7th minute, with Austin Odhiambo rising to the occasion in the 12th minute to make matters level and share the spoils.
A dramatic late intervention from the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) saved Kenya’s Harambee Stars from a heartbreaking defeat in the 97th minute when Ambrosini “Zini” Salvador appeared to have won the match with a goal that was ruled out.
Silencing Morocco
With hopes rising that the Harambee stars could pull more surprised as the Atlas Lions of Morocco lay in wait, the results threw the group wide open with no clear favourite securing a slot in the quarter-finals.
Against all odds and after being reduced to ten men, the stars shone over Morocco with a 1-0 victory that would eventually secure them a slot in the quarter finals with a game to spare.
It was Rambok Ryan Wesley Ogam who scored the all-important goal that set Kenya on course to securing a slot in the quarter-finals.