CHAN 2024: Morocco's coach credits Harambee Stars defense after surprise loss
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Reading Time: 2min | Tue. 12.08.25. | 07:32
The Atlas Lions, though with a man advantage for an entire half, struggled to break down McCarthy's solid defense
Morocco national football team head coach Tarik Sektioui was left in praise of Kenya’s defense, following his side’s 1-0 loss to the African Nations Championships (CHAN) debutants at the Moi International Sports Centre - Kasarani on Sunday, 10 August.
Sektioui, who led his side to a Paris 2024 Olympic bronze medal last year, could not get an answer to Harambee Stars’ rearguard approach, despite having an extra man on the field for an entire half.
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Speaking at the end of a surprise defeat, which was the first for the Atlas Lions in 15 CHAN matches, Sektioui initially blamed his side for a laid-back approach before lauding the hosts' backline.
“We started the game in a good way, but I think after our win (against Angola on 3 August), we had a sensation that we would dominate the game,” Sektioui, a former teammate of Kenya’s head coach Benni McCarthy, said.
“We started in an easy way, lots of our passing and control were not good, and later on, Kenya scored.”
Though a goal down, the two-time CHAN champions were handed a reprieve at the stroke of halftime, when Kenyan midfielder Chrispine Erambo was sent off following a rash tackle on Anas El Mahraoui.
That moment, as per 48-year-old Sektioui, made their work harder.
“It was not easy,” the U23 national team coach said. “Sometimes people think that it is easy when one team has one player more, but it was not easy, because we played against a team with players with good defensive quality. They made the pitch smaller by playing deep, and they also had some positive play forward.”
McCarthy, in the aftermath of the win, paid tribute to his former coach, Jose Mourinho when asked where he coined his art of defending from, while Sektioui thought his team would have done better in forward positions.
“I think in the last 30 minutes we tried everything to score a goal, but our animation (movements) in an offensive way was not so good," he said.
“We lost three points, but in the next game we are going to start with a more professional mentality.”
Morocco next play Zambia on Thursday, 14 August (1700 EAT), at the Moi International Sports Centre - Kasarani.
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