Angola Coach Outlines Plan to Tame ‘High Tempo’ Harambee Stars in CHAN 2024 Clash

Angola head coach Pedro Gonçalves has explained what his charges must to to stop Kenya’s Harambee Stars from grabbing two wins from two in their second clash of the ongoing 2024 African Nations Championships (CHAN) taking place at Kasarani Stadium on Thursday night.

Coming off a win, Harambee Stars are highly motivated to make a mark against Angola, who are in the hunt for their first win since the tournament kicked off on Saturday.

Harambee Stars claimed a 1-0 win over DR Congo in their opening match on Sunday, courtesy of Austin Odhiambo just before the first half ended.

PAY ATTENTION: Stay updated with the Latest Sports News in Kenya from Pulse Sports

Now, Harambee Stars will square it out with Angola and they already have an upper hand going into the game following Angola’s 2-0 loss to Morocco in their opening match at the Nyayo National Stadium.

Pedro Gonçalves will now lead the Palancas Negras to their second match, but is wary of what the results might be.

Gonçalves heaped praise on Kenyan fans for their willingess to turnout in large numbers and support their national team, with the game on Thursday night already sold out at the time of asking.

“Before I speak directly about the adjustments we need to make for tomorrow’s match, I want to highlight the importance of this game. It's a match that should promote African football and serve as a beautiful celebration of the sport.

“ I believe the Kenyan fans are very excited to create a lively atmosphere in the stadium. But above all, I hope it will be a celebration of fair play — a true festival of African football — and that all of us can contribute to the growth of the game on our continent.”

Gonçalves believes the lessons they learnt from their opening 2-0 loss to Morocco at the Nyayo National Stadium on Sunday has enabled them to understand what went wrong, which is motivating them to get all points against Kenya.

“Tomorrow will necessarily be a different game. We'll face a team that plays at a high tempo, in a very energetic environment. So we’ll need to stay highly focused on our task,” he said.

“I believe that, with the experience from the first match and the continued development from our preparation phase, we’ll be better prepared to respond. And of course, at the end of the game, we aim to come away with the victory.”

Gonçalves also addressed the emotional and mental toll that opening matches in major tournaments often carry, suggesting that his team’s mistakes against Morocco were partly due to nerves and early pressure.

“The first matches in these major competitions are always games with a high emotional load, great demands, and a need for intense focus. Sometimes, in the anxiety of wanting to do everything right, we end up making small mistakes that, when combined, result in a performance below what we’d like.”

“We’re working on that — to be more focused, more concentrated, and to make decisions that are easier to execute. And just by doing that, I believe our performance will improve.”

Angola’s Palancas Negras find themselves in a must-win situation as they look to stay alive in the competition. A second loss would all but end their hopes of progressing beyond the group stage, while Kenya look to ride the momentum of their opening win and build on their dream of a deep CHAN run on home soil.

Kick-off is set for 7:00 PM EAT at Kasarani Stadium.