5 Key Takeaways From Harambee Stars Shock CHAN 2024 Quarter-Final Loss to Madagascar

Harambee Stars lost to Madagascar 4-3 on penalties in their CHAN 2024 quater final clash at Kasarani Stadium, leaving the home support stunned.

Kenya’s CHAN 2024 journey came to an abrupt end in the quarterfinals following a heartbreaking penalty shootout loss to Madagascar at Kasarani. 

The match was full of drama, tactical talking points, and controversial refereeing calls. Here are the five biggest takeaways from the Harambee Stars’ exit.

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Subbing off Ryan Ogam, Boniface Muchiri Was Premature

A lot of fans, pundits and journalists are still up in arms over Benni McCarthy’s surprise decision to take off both Ryan Ogam and Bonface Muchiri for Masud Juma and Austin Odongo.

In the first half, Ryan Ogam was very effervescent. He gave the Madagascar center backs a lot of trouble with his back to goal play, holding the ball up very well and creating space for Boniface Muchiri, Marvine Nabwire and Ben Stanley Omondi to attack in behind.

He also threatened the goal a lot, and shortly before he was subbed off, even scored a goal, which was controversially ruled out following a goal in the build up (more on that later). 

When he was replaced by Odongo, the side lost presence upfront, and Madagascar were now able to express themselves on the ball more often.

Boniface Muchiri was doing his job well, isolating his fullbacks when one on one, delivering exquisite crosses, winning fouls and even delivering quality balls from setpiece situations, and it was his freekick that directly led to the opening goal by Alphonce Omija.

Why Didn’t Strikers Step Up to Take Penalties?

During the penalty shootout, there was an interesting thing to note. No striker actually stepped up to take a penalty.

Despite Masoud Juma and Austin Odongo being on the pitch, it was actually fullbacks Mohammed Siraj, Daniel Sakari and center backs Sylvester Owino, Alphonce Omija and Mike Kibwage who actually took the spotkicks.

Although Siraj, Sakari and Owino scored theirs, the latter two fluffed their lines. You cannot blame them for their bravery, but at the same time, there is an expectation that strikers, who are more seasoned when it comes to spotkicks, are better at executing them.

Benni McCarthy revealed afterwards that he did not force anyone to take them, and all five stepped up out of sheer willingness. But you can only help but wonder why the forwards, especially Juma given his experience, never took one.

Young Cats’ Over-eagerness to Impress

During the tournament, Benni McCarthy has given chances to some young players. Edward Omondi, Ben Stanley Omondi, Austin Odongo and Manzur Okwaro are all under 22, hugely talented  and they all got chances to impress him for the national team.

While Manzur Okwaro certainly showed maturity throughout -in an unfamiliar midfield role - , the rest tended to overthink, and tried way too hard to make an impression, which forced them into making unnecessary mistakes.

Perhaps Okwaro’s experience playing for the U18s and U20s has helped him learn to deal with pressure earlier, which is why he never looked lost.

Kenya’s Low-Block Struggles Continue

Once again, Kenya’s struggles against teams that sit low-block continued against Madagascar. The side enjoyed a lot of ball possession, with 54 percent of the ball. They made 17 shots, with 4 on target. 

They registered an expected goals ratio of 1.84, with Madagascar on 1.50 - although 0.78 of it was from the penalty they won and scored.

It was surprising that Austin Odhiambo never played a minute during the game, and you would have expected him to thrive in a game of such nature. Alpha Onyango and Marvine Nabwire were the two midfielders tasked with helping out in the attacking department as free number eights. 

Alpha Onyango was rightly named man of the match, but even so, you feel the side’s lopsided nature largely contributed to the lack of goals.

Controversial Disallowed goal

For the first time, you may say that some refereeing decisions were made against Kenya, most notably, Ryan Ogam’s disallowed goal.

In the 51st minute, Ryan Ogam slotted the ball past Madagascar goalkeeper Toldo, sparking wild celebrations inside Kasarani, but they were quickly cut short.

The referee awarded the free kick to Madagascar who were hanging on at that point.

Ben Stanley Omondi had fouled a Madagascar player as he headed the ball towards Ogam, mean-ing the goal could not stand because of the push. However, TV replays show it was very soft and harsh, and that is when the tides started turning in Kenya’s favor.

Kenya’s elimination from CHAN 2024 is a bitter pill to swallow. Tactical missteps, missed opportunities, and refereeing controversies all played a part. 

For McCarthy, the lessons are clear: manage substitutions better, instill composure in young players, and find solutions against deep-lying defenses. The Harambee Stars showed flashes of promise, but in knockout football, fine margins make all the difference.