Kenya U20 coach reflects on painful AFCON opener loss to Morocco
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Reading Time: 2min | Wed. 21.05.25. | 07:29
Akhulia conceded that Kenya’s inexperience at the continental level contributed to the loss, especially after taking the lead
Kenya U20 assistant coach Anthony Akhulia has opened up on how the Rising Stars fell short in their opening U20 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) clash against Morocco, held in Cairo, Egypt on Thursday, 1 May.
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Despite taking an early lead through Lawrence Ouma, Kenya went on to suffer a controversial 3-2 defeat. Two of Morocco’s goals were subjected to VAR reviews before being upheld, with the third goal drawing particular criticism as it followed what appeared to be a blatant foul on a Kenyan player. Hassan Beja scored the other goal for Kenya.
The Rising Stars then lost 3-1 to Tunisia in their second group game before settling for a 2-2 draw against Nigeria in their final match. The results were not enough to earn Kenya a spot in the quarterfinals, as they exited the tournament at the group stage hurdle.
Reflecting on the Morocco clash, Akhulia admitted that while Kenya were the better side for large spells of the match, Morocco’s superior game management made the difference.
He also acknowledged that Morocco’s experience helped them navigate critical moments and eventually reach the final of the tournament, where they lost to South Africa.
“We led for the bigger part of the game against Morocco, particularly in the first half — they were totally out of the game,” Akhulia said in an interview with NTV.
“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.”
He conceded that Kenya’s inexperience at the continental level contributed to the loss, especially after taking the lead.
“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.”
Akhulia also expressed his frustration over Morocco’s third goal, which he believes should not have stood.
“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.
We let them score first, and then started complaining. Those are the moments that cost us.”
