In reaching the quarter-finals of the 2024 African Nations Championships (Chan) on Thursday, Kenya qualified for the knock-out stage of a major football tournament for the first time in 38 years.

Kenya, coached by South African football legend Benni McCarthy, qualified for the last eight stage of the tournament on their debut in the competition, and with a match to spare.

Kenya are co-hosting the 19-nation, four-week biennial tournament with Uganda and Tanzania.

After playing three matches, Harambee Stars top Group “A” standings on seven points followed by two-time champions Morocco on six points from the same number of matches.

Two-time champions, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are third on six points from three matches, and Angola are fourth with four points from four matches. Zambia are bottom of the group with no point after three matches.

Angola and Zambia have been eliminated from the competition ahead of tomorrow’s final Group ‘A’ matches. Kenya is assured of a place in the quarter-finals even if the team loses to Zambia at the 48,000-seater Moi International Sports Centre (MISC) Kasarani, thanks to a superior head-to-head count over both Morocco and DRC. Kenya beat both Morocco and DRC 1-0.

Morocco will play DRC at the 18,000-seater Nyayo National Stadium, and any kind of result will favour Harambee Stars.

Having been drawn in the tournament’s “group of death”, many fans and pundits had written off Harambee Stars before the tournament.

While Kenya are making their Chan debut, both Morocco and DRC are regulars in the tournament, and the most successful teams in the competition with two titles each.

Morocco’s “Atlas Lions” won the title in 2018, and in 2020, while DRC’s “Leopards” won it in their debut edition in 2009 and 2016.

At position 12, Morocco is the top-ranked African team in Fifa rankings, DRC are 61st, while Angola and Zambia are placed 87th and 88th respectively. Kenya is ranked 111th.

Doubts among fans over Harambee Stars performance in the competition were fuelled by the team’s poor record in continental championships.

Before Thursday, Kenya had not reached the knock-out stage of any major football competition since the 1987 All-African Games (renamed African Games).

Kenya claimed silver medal in football at the 1987 African Games after losing to Egypt 1-0 in added time of the final held at Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani.

In all the six editions of Afcon finals (1988, 1990, 1992, 2004 and 2019) that Kenya competed in, Harambee Stars failed to progress past the group stage. Harambee Stars are yet to qualify for the Fifa World Cup.

McCarthy, 47, has earned praise from Kenyan fans for putting a smile on their faces with strong performances from Harambee Stars.

Kenya’s run to the quarter-finals has been driven by a shrewd tactical approach by McCarthy, financial incentives from President William Ruto, and the support of Kenyan fans.

At some moments, a player took the bullet for the team, as midfielder Chrispine Erambo, did on Sunday against Morocco.

Despite being reduced to 10 men at the stroke of half-time following a red card on Erambo, Kenya put up a spirited fight to win the match 1-0.

Striker Ryan Ogam scored the winning goal, the victory being the first that Harambee Stars have registered against Morocco in six meetings.

Earlier against Angola, Harambee Stars battled to a 1-1 draw despite losing midfielder Marvine Nabwire to a red card just 21 minutes into the match.

The hosts defeated DRC 1-0 in their opening match of the campaign.

Across Kenya’s all three matches, McCarthy’s tactical acumen has been evident, earning him widespread support from Kenyans fans.

Despite Kenya’s match against Morocco being a tough one, he rested a massive six changes including midfielder Austine Odhiambo, Alpha Onyango and defenders Abud Omar, Alphone Omija and Daniel Sakari.

The new faces in the starting line-up in Ogam and Siraj Mohammed, and Michael Kibwage, Lewis Bandi and Ben Stanley rose to the occasion.

In both matches against Angola and Morocco, Kenya chose to rally numbers behind and hit from counter attacks. They defended as a unit, shutting down every opponent’s threats.

Speaking after their win over Morocco, McCarty said he learnt the defensive tactic from Portuguese coach Jose Mourinho whom he played under at Porto from 2003to 2006.

“I am not sure if you remember that I played under a certain coach Jose Mourinho. He was a master of that, so as a player playing in a team playing with 10 men, was hell, but we used to manage it perfectly like it was our everyday thing,” McCarthy who won the prestigious Uefa Champions League title with Porto in 2004, said.

Huge home support has also been crucial in Kenya’s impressive performance so far. All Kenya’s home matches have been sold out, with fans cheering Harambee Stars to victory.

From Mexican waves to chants of “One million”, followed by a glittering sea of phone torches, and Poznan dances, Kenyans at the stadium have united to see Harambee Stars excel in the tournament.

“I don’t think if we didn’t have the performance from the fans the way they did, we would have survived. Not with 11 players, not with 10 players,” McCarthy said after their win over Morocco.

Another key ingredient in Kenya’s strong performance is also the financial incentive from President William Ruto.

On August 2, President Ruto promised each person in the 42-man squad Sh1 million or a win and Sh500, 000 for every draw.

The players have each received a total of Sh2.5 million for their wins over Morocco and DRC and draw against Angola.

On Monday, President Ruto raised the stake by promising each squad member Sh2.5 million each should they defeat Zambia tomorrow.

Should they win the quarter-finals, each squad member will receive additional Sh1 million and a two bedroom house while victory in the semi-finals will see every member of the team receive Sh 1 million and a three-bedroom house.