African Nations Championship
Group A
DR Congo v Zambia 4pm
Angola v Kenya 7pm
Kenya’s Harambee Stars head coach, Benni McCarthy, has called for calm and focus from his team as they prepare to face Angola in a critical Group A fixture at the 2024 African Nations Championship (CHAN) on Thursday night.
Fresh off a hard-fought 1-0 win over DR Congo on Sunday, Kenya could book their place in the quarter-finals with another victory. But McCarthy, speaking during the team’s pre-match media session, urged his players not to get carried away.
“Nothing is done yet. That was just one win, an important one, but we have to remain focused,” said the South African legend.
Kenya’s win over DR Congo earned praise across the region, with McCarthy lauding the team’s work ethic and discipline, but cautioning against overconfidence as they now face an Angola side seeking redemption after a 2-0 loss to Morocco.
“The focus now shifts squarely to Angola, and the ambition is the same: go in and fight for maximum points,” he added.
The Bafana Bafana legend was also blunt about his playing philosophy, downplaying the importance of possession stats.
“I don’t care even if we have 30 or 40 percent possession. What matters to me is that we’re able to get the win. We saw against Morocco, Angola had almost 60 percent possession, but at the end of the day, it’s the scoreline that matters.”
Kenya currently sits top of Group A with 3 points, while Angola and DR Congo are under pressure to revive their campaigns. Angola, despite a strong squad on paper, struggled to convert possession into goals in their opening fixture.
McCarthy is expected to retain most of the starting eleven from the DR Congo match, though minor adjustments may be made to counter Angola’s pace on the flanks.
Elsewhere in Group A, DR Congo will battle Zambia in another must-win clash as the group stage enters a decisive phase.
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