Thursday August 7, 2025
- Moi International stadium, Kasarani 7pm
After stunning two-time champions DR Congo in their opening match, Kenya return to action with a date against Angola in Group A at Kasarani aiming for perfection.
The Harambee Stars understand that a win will take them closer to the knock out stages on their debut but in Angola, they face a wounded side that lost 2-0 to Morocco on match day one.
Benni McCarthy has warned his charges against being complacent and wary of the threat posed by Angola who he labelled as a possession based team.
“Nothing is done yet. That was just one win — an important one — but we have to remain focused. We faced a very tough opponent and worked hard to get that result, but we shouldn’t let it get into our heads,” McCarthy said.
“The focus now shifts squarely to Angola and the ambition is the same — go in and fight for maximum points,” he added.
“I don’t care even if we have 30 or 40 percent possession. What matters to me is that we’re able to get the win from that match. We saw against Morocco — Angola had almost 60 percent possession — but at the end of the day, it’s the scoreline that matters.”
Meanwhile, Angola Head coach Pedro Gonçalves acknowledged the challenge of facing Kenya on home soil and knows his players must be mentally strong to respond.
“We saw in the first game that the stadium was full and they enjoyed a lot of support. That definitely gives them a good advantage,” Gonçalves admitted.
“They are a very good team, with athletic and quick players, so we’re going to face a side that is twice as hard to beat. But we know what is required of us and we know what we need to do. We have to try and bounce back from the opening day disappointment.”
In the other game in the group, wounded DR Congo Leopards face Zambia at Nyayo stadium in the early kick off.