Rising Stars assistant head coach Anthony Akhulia has discussed how Kenya fell to Morocco during their opening match of the U20 African Cup of Nations.

Lawrence Ouma powered Rising Stars to an early lead only for the North Africans to fight back and win via a 3-2 scoreline. Morocco’s two goals were controversial and stood after lengthy VAR assessments.

“We led for the bigger part of the game against Morocco, particularly in the first half — they were totally out of the game.

“VAR did us a disservice. That third goal shouldn’t have stood — it was a clear foul. We were surprised it wasn’t overturned. But again, we should have cleared the ball before stopping to protest.

“But one thing I learned is that they know how to manage themselves under pressure. They’ll let you have the ball, play your game, and even control the tempo — but they know exactly when to conserve energy and when to step in and take control. That’s what happened,” Akhulisa said, as quoted by a local publication.

The Bidco United head coach also admitted his players fell short in some aspect of the game.

“When we were 1-0 up, we didn’t manage the game well. It was our first time at this stage, and there was a lot of excitement. But we lacked the know-how to control the key moments.

“Morocco capitalised on our weaknesses, hit us when we were vulnerable, and then retreated strategically. They didn’t necessarily outplay us — they just used their experience better, and that was the difference.

“We let them score first and then started complaining. Those are the moments that cost us,” he added.