Kenya U20 went down fighting 3-2 to Morocco in their opening match of the 2025 U20 Africa Cup of Nations at the 30 June Stadium in Cairo, Egypt, on Thursday night. Follow our WhatsApp channel for more newsUnder the lights and biting cold, Rising Stars surrendered their lead to suffer the narrow loss, to the pre-tournament favourites, leaving them with a difficult task of securing positive results against Tunisia and Nigeria in the remaining Group B matches. The defeat at the hands of the star-studded Morocco means that Kenya has to secure favourable results in the remaining matches so as to keep the World Cup dream alive or prevent an early exit from the tournament at the very least. Kenya might have lost, but the fighting spirit displayed on the pitch left an impression of a team that is in Cairo to compete rather than to participate. Match Report Millions to be recovered after court cancels fraudulent tender for Kenyatta Stadium renovationStars were on the back foot in the opening moments of the game, not by the might of the Moroccan team, but by their unforced errors and nervousness. Benard Jairo, a goalkeeper who has played pressure matches at his club Kariobangi Sharks, had moments to forget in the early minutes, as he twice failed to come out on top in what looked like routine situations for him. Thankfully, the duo of Collins Ochieng and Manzur Okwaro bailed him out with their quick thinking, reading of the game and being alert. ##NAJAVA_MECA_8894256##Equally, indecisiveness and perhaps stage fright nearly worked against Okwaro and Andreas Odhiambo, with poor finishing by the Moroccan forwards coming much to the advantage of Kenya. Kevin Wangaya was instrumental in calming things for the Kenyan side, as he collected the ball from the backline on numerous occasions and used his skills to beat the press and dictate play as well. Arguably, the player who enjoyed the first half most, Wangaya, quickly dragged the rest of the team up to levels with Morocco and would later become the dominant figure in midfield. FULL TIME!🇰🇪 2-3 🇲🇦 #RisingStars #TotalEnergiesAFCONU20 pic.twitter.com/kuF0Zwcq0E— Harambee Stars (@Harambee__Stars) May 1, 2025 Kenya took the lead, against the run of play, through Lawrence Ouma, who rose the highest to head in a free kick from Wangaya in the 16th minute. Left back Collins Ochieng had made an electric run down on the wing, but his cross was handled by Abdelhamid Ait Boudlal, forcing centre referee Akhona Makalima to award Kenya a free kick inches from the edge of the box. Wangaya stepped up and floated the ball to Ouma, who used his height to beat his markers to the first ball, which sailed to the farthest corner of Yanis Benchaouch. ##NAJAVA_MECA_8894246##The goal was perhaps what Kenya needed to start dominating Morocco in possession, as Salim Babu’s boys had the ball in plenty and were a threat in the final third. Morocco’s tactical discipline and game plan remained intact even after conceding and briefly losing control of the match. However, their bid to draw level suffered a blow thanks to the substitution of Boudlal for Hamza Koutoune in the 23rd minute. LIVE BLOG: Kenya U20 off to a false start in U20 AFCON against MoroccoWangaya nearly doubled the lead for Kenya in the 26th minute, but his free kick hit the side net with Benchaouch well beaten. Moments later, Jairo made a double save to deny Morocco from drawing level from open play and the resultant corner. Hassan Beja was guilty of squandering a clear chance at the stroke of the half-hour mark after Ochieng squared the ball to him from a promising position. ##NAJAVA_MECA_8894229##However, the AFC Leopards man failed to make a clean connection with the ball, much to the reprieve of Morocco. Morocco drew level in the dying minutes of the half through Mohamed Yassir Zabiri, who had the easiest job on the pitch, as he passed the ball into an empty net. Poor clearance saw Morocco collect the ball in the area with Jairo palming the initial attempt on goal, much to the advantage of Zabiri, who was standing by to score the second ball. TACTICAL ANALYSIS: Kenya U20 winger tipped to be Salim Babu’s trump cardInitially, the South African referee had awarded a free kick on Amos Wanjala, but changed her mind after a lengthy review on the pitch-side monitor. Second HalfMorocco were the quickest off the blocks as they overloaded the left side of the Kenyan defence, overwhelming Ochieng, who was later withdrawn thanks to the pressure. ##NAJAVA_MECA_8894309##Ten minutes into the half, Zabiri sealed his brace after suspect defending of a cross by the Kenyan defence. The goal came with a heavy price as he crashed onto the woodwork in the process of connecting with the ball. Kenya fought hard and would draw level in the 71st minute through Hassan Beja, who hit the ball low and hard from the area. Gor Mahia details 3 reasons for choosing Machakos as venue for new stadiumSecond-half substitute Javan Omondi floated the ball in the area, with the second ball falling for Aldrine Kibet, who found Beja. Morocco regained the lead in the 78th minute through Reda Laalaoui, who made a quick dash and tapped in from close range after the defence failed to clear. Just like their first, the goal was subjected to a VAR review, as the Kenyan players felt there was a foul on Wanjala, who required medical attention from the challenge. Jairo would deny Morocco their fourth late in the second half, gathering a penalty awarded after Baron Ochieng fouled an opponent in the box. Stars fought hard in the remaining minutes on the clock, bit Morocco offered perfect response to keep the scores in their favour.
