Sports

McCarthy dedicates Harambee Stars’ win over Morocco to fans

Monday 11th August, 2025 03:17 AM| By Arnold Ngure

Harambee Stars head coach Benni McCarthy has dedicated the win by Kenya over Morocco to football fans inside the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani.

In a post-match interview on Sunday, August 10, 2025, McCarthy said that the team could not have achieved the historic win without the fans.

“I am just proud of the players because they left everything on the pitch, not just for themselves but also for the fans in the stadium,” McCarthy noted.

Fans’ contribution to win

“I don’t think if we didn’t have the performance from the fans we would have survived; not with 11 or 10 players,” he added.

Ryan Ogam celebrates his goal against Morocco with fans at the Kasarani Stadium on August 10, 2025. PHOTO/@CAF_Online/X

“We owe this victory to the fans. So, I am just beyond grateful that we have a team that leaves everything out on the field. No one thought about whether they were tired; they just pushed and showed the Kenyan athletic spirit on the football field.”

While acknowledging that Morocco had a better ball possession compared to the Harambee Stars, McCarthy stated that Kenya was so tactically sound that the possession could not result in goals.

Tactically organised

“I think we deserved the win as much as they had 90 per cent of the ball. At the end of the day, three points were ours. We were so tactically organized that Morocco did not know what to do with the ball,” McCarthy observed.

Harambee Stars’ Ryan Ogam celebrates after scoring the crucial goal against Morocco. PHOTO/@WilliamsRuto/X

“We were happy with that, and I couldn’t have asked for a better performance from the players. I am beyond proud about what the boys have done two games in a row.”

The Harambee Stars pulled off a gutsy 1-0 victory over tournament heavyweights Morocco at a packed Kasarani Stadium, sealing top spot in Group A of the 2025 African Nations Championship (CHAN) in front of over 40,000 roaring fans.

Ryan Ogam’s 42nd-minute strike proved decisive, but the win came under intense pressure after midfielder Chrispine Erambo was shown a straight red card just before half-time for a dangerous tackle, the second time in as many games Kenya has had a player sent off.

The final whistle confirmed a famous win for Kenya, who move to seven points, being the Group A leaders.