Morocco Coach Reveals Lessons From Hard Harambee Stars Game to Beat Madagascar at CHAN 2024 Final

Morocco head coach Tarik Sektioui has admitted his team must quickly learn lessons from their loss to Kenya’s Harambee Stars in the group stages if they are to overcome Madagascar in the 2024 African Nations Championship (CHAN) final at Kasarani Stadium this Saturday.

Playing in front of a sold-out Kasarani a fortnight ago, Harambee Stars stunned the Atlas Lions with a hard-fought 1-0 victory. Ryan Ogam scored in the 42nd minute against the run of play, just as Morocco had been dominating with their attacking style.

Kenya faced a setback before halftime when Chrispine Erambo was shown a red card for a reckless tackle. Despite being reduced to ten men, the Stars defended with discipline and resilience to seal a famous win.

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At the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium, Madagascar produced another remarkable story, building on their bronze-medal debut in 2022. Despite injury setbacks and a red card, they scored a late winner against Sudan to reach their first-ever CHAN final—setting up a historic showdown with Morocco.

Reflecting on the Harambee Stars defeat, Sektioui admitted his side struggled to find solutions in attack:

“Against Kenya, we dominated the game but they scored against the run of play, before being reduced to a man less,” he said after Morocco’s quarter-final win over Tanzania.

“They sat in a low block, very compact, and defended well. We did not find solutions in the final third. We got opportunities to score, but they weren’t many.”

Looking ahead to Saturday’s final, Sektioui insisted his team will not underestimate Madagascar, another side whose pragmatic approach has worked for them, despite being favorites:

“It is going to be a very difficult game, but one of our qualities is being modest and respecting every team. 

“We will give them the respect they deserve, but we have to be ready mentally, physically, and tactically to beat them,” he said after their semi-final victory over Senegal.

With Morocco chasing their third CHAN crown and Madagascar writing their own fairytale, the final at Kasarani is set to be one of the most dramatic in the tournament’s history.