Rising Stars Coach Explains What Charges Must Do to Beat Tunisia and Kickstart U20 AFCON Campaign

Rising Stars are set to face Tunisia in their second group B clash of the ongoing 2025 U20 AFCON.

Rising Stars assistant coach Anthony Akhulia has laid out a clear blueprint for his side ahead of their must-win second clash at the ongoing U20 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Egypt, as Kenya prepares to face Tunisia in a decisive Group B fixture.

Kenya pushed Morocco to the brink in their opening match at Cairo’s 30 June Stadium on Thursday, only to fall 3-2 in a pulsating encounter that saw the North Africans dig deep for a late winner.

Lawrence Ouma gave the Rising Stars a dream start, rising highest to nod home Kevin Injehu’s pinpoint free-kick in the 16th minute. 

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Morocco equalized just before the break through Yassir Zabiri, who pounced on a goalmouth scramble to restore parity. Zabiri returned after halftime with a close-range header to give Morocco the lead.

But Kenya hit back through Hassan Beja, who slotted home a superb equalizer after combining brilliantly with Aldrine Kibet.

 The tie seemed destined for a draw until the 78th minute, when Reda Laalaoui found the net after a clever pass from Saad El Haddad. Bernard Jairo denied Morocco a late penalty, keeping Kenya within touching distance to the final whistle.

Akhulia- We must be clinical

With Tunisia up next—fresh from a 1-0 defeat to Nigeria—Kenya knows that a win would put them in a strong position to progress to the quarter-finals.

Speaking ahead of the crunch tie, Akhulia emphasized the need for both tactical flexibility and sharper execution in key moments.

“If the team hasn’t won, you always look at where we went wrong or what didn’t work for us. If it means a player needs to be changed, then we can do that,” Akhulia told FKF Media. 

“If it means we as coaches need to use a different tactic, then we’ll do that too. So changes might happen—not just in the playing squad, but also in terms of how we approach the game.”

Reflecting on the narrow loss to Morocco, Akhulia stressed that converting chances and tightening the backline would be vital if the Rising Stars are to stay alive in the tournament.

“We really need to score early and defend well as a team. In the last match, we made individual mistakes at the back, and we also wasted too many chances. There were individual errors both in defense and in finishing,” he noted.

“We’re urging our players to take their chances and score, and we’re also pushing our defenders to be more alert—especially in those key areas where we need to win the ball and transition forward.”

Kenya will need to be both clinical and cohesive if they are to bounce back and keep their AFCON dream alive.