{"id":18099,"date":"2025-08-22T17:50:35","date_gmt":"2025-08-22T17:50:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/goodmorningkenya.com\/wp\/?p=18099"},"modified":"2025-08-22T17:55:22","modified_gmt":"2025-08-22T17:55:22","slug":"middle-finger-again-valiant-harambee-stars-fall-to-madagascar-in-chan-heartbreak","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/goodmorningkenya.com\/wp\/?p=18099","title":{"rendered":"Middle Finger Again? Valiant Harambee Stars Fall to Madagascar in CHAN Heartbreak”"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Good Morning Kenya<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kenya\u2019s fairy tale run in the 2025 CHAN tournament came to a gut-wrenching end on Friday night as the Harambee Stars bowed out on penalties to a determined Madagascar side\u2014once again showing Kenya the proverbial middle finger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just last year, Madagascar raised eyebrows when they refused to back Raila Odinga for the AU Chairmanship. Now, they\u2019ve rubbed salt into the wound\u2014this time on the pitch, and on our own soil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite co-hosting the tournament, Kenya is out. Knocked out. Bantered out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How It Unfolded<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

It had started so well. The Stars drew first blood when a perfectly delivered dead ball by Muchiri was met by Omija, who rose highest to nod it home for a 1-0 lead. The stadium erupted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the joy was short-lived.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the 66th minute, Lewis Bandi\u2019s unfortunate handball in the box gifted Madagascar a penalty. Fenohasina Razafimaro made no mistake, levelling the score at 1-1.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From there, it was a tense affair. Extra time couldn’t separate the sides, and the match was left to the lottery of penalties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kenya\u2019s takers \u2013 Siraj Mohammed, Daniel Sakari, and Sylvester Owino \u2013 all converted. But then, the pressure told. Mike Kibwage\u2019s effort was saved. Omija, the early hero, blazed his penalty wide. Madagascar\u2019s Toky Rakotondraibe stepped up and coolly slotted home the winner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Coaching Questions and Penalty Puzzles<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The match raised questions that fans are still asking this morning:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • Why did coach Benni McCarthy leave Austin Odhiambo\u2014Kenya\u2019s talisman\u2014on the bench despite making six substitutions?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Why didn\u2019t veterans like Abud Omar or Masoud Juma step up for spot-kick duty?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • And how did we lose all momentum after such a promising start?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    Still, it\u2019s hard to ignore the positives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Stellar CHAN Debut, Despite the Pain<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    This was Kenya\u2019s best-ever CHAN showing. The Harambee Stars advanced to the quarter-finals unbeaten, topping a group that included CHAN heavyweights Morocco and DR Congo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Across five matches, they conceded just twice. Byrne Omondi was sensational between the sticks. The defense was largely solid. The team showed heart, grit, and structure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    But the lack of goals\u2014and perhaps questionable in-game management\u2014ultimately cost us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Madagascar: Our Footballing Nemesis?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    First, they dribbled past Raila at the AU. Now, they’ve embarrassed us on home turf. It\u2019s starting to feel personal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Still, credit where it\u2019s due. The Malagasy were organized, composed, and ruthless when it mattered. Their goalkeeper, Michel Ramandimbisoa, was the real match-winner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Flowers for the Stars<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Despite the heartbreak, the Harambee Stars and coach Benni McCarthy deserve flowers. They\u2019ve brought pride back to Kenyan football with a gritty CHAN campaign that nobody expected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    It\u2019s pain today\u2014but perhaps, the dawn of a new era tomorrow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n\n\n\n

    <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    : Good Morning Kenya Kenya\u2019s fairy tale run in the 2025 CHAN tournament came to a gut-wrenching end on Friday night as the Harambee Stars bowed out on penalties to a determined Madagascar side\u2014once again showing Kenya the proverbial middle finger. Just last year, Madagascar raised eyebrows when they refused to back Raila Odinga for …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":18104,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18099","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/goodmorningkenya.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18099","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/goodmorningkenya.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/goodmorningkenya.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/goodmorningkenya.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/goodmorningkenya.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=18099"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/goodmorningkenya.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18099\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18105,"href":"https:\/\/goodmorningkenya.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18099\/revisions\/18105"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/goodmorningkenya.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/18104"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/goodmorningkenya.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=18099"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/goodmorningkenya.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=18099"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/goodmorningkenya.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=18099"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}