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Kenya’s Rising Stars struggled to match the high levels of top-tier teams at the CAF U20 AFCON, exposing critical gaps in their style of play.
Kenya’s Rising Stars made their first appearance at the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations, but they bowed out barely before the real competition began.
Rising Stars had been pooled in Group B alongside seven-time champions Nigeria, Morocco and Tunisia, but they bowed out in the group stage, having just gained one point.
They lost 3-2 to Morocco in their opening match before also losing 3-1 to Tunisia in their second match. They drew 2-2 with Nigeria to end their campaign. The team was under the management of head coach Salim Babu and his assistant Anthony Akhulia.
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Anthony Akhulia revealed that Rising Stars were unable to cope in the three matches due to the high standards of the game.
He revealed that despite being in the camp, the players noticed that any slight mistake would cost them, and in their bid to play perfectly, they made a series of silly mistakes.
He added that the presence of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) also highlighted some of the mistakes they made, thinking they were normal occurrences.
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However, Anthony Akhulia pointed out that Rising Stars had a lot to learn from their mistakes and going forward, he believes they will play better.
“As much as we moved to camp and prepared for the tournament for more than two months, we reached Egypt and noticed that any slight mistake that you commit, you get punished for it, and this is a very different level of football,” Akhulia told Flashscore.
“Again there was VAR, we committed mistakes thinking that it was not a mistake from our point of view, but when reviewed, it became a mistake and we got punished, so I think we have learnt a lot as coaches, and also the players have picked some vital lessons from the tournament, there are things that we take for granted but when you reach a high level of football, it becomes a different ball game.”
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What Kenya needs to do going forward
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Anthony Akhulia revealed that Kenya needs to work on some key areas ahead of continental tournaments to avoid such embarrassments.
According to Antony Akhulia, the players need to address their mentality and learn how to cope under pressure if they are to make an impact.
“We really need to have a strong mentality in terms of how we play, how we manage ourselves. We must also improve on how to manage the game,” Akhulia added.
“We exited the tournament because we were not able to manage the game. we had moments when we were leading, and what did we need to do?
“And if you check keenly, both Morocco and Tunisia overpowered us because of that, not being able to manage the game.”
Kenya’s Rising Stars may have exited early, but their debut at the CAF U-20 Africa Cup of Nations offered valuable exposure to elite competition.
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The tournament highlighted the need for mental resilience and better game management as they aim to grow on the continental stage.
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