Chan 2024 favourites Morocco and their fans mourned in silence.

The visibly cheerful Kenyans chose to dance at the poor Moroccans’ graves.

When the centre referee Vincent Kabore from Burkina Faso blew the final whistle, it was a life of contrasts inside the renovated and packed Kasarani Stadium.

The Kenyans had just done the unthinkable. Quite enviable too. 

Coming up such a formidable opponent, few gave the novice Kenyans much chance against their more experienced North Africans, very few did.

You see, Morocco’s record in this tournament that is meant for local-based players speaks volumes. Very enviable, quite admirable too.

Coming into this match, the Moroccans were unbeaten in their last 14 matches (12 wins, 2 draws). In fact, they were enjoying three consecutive clean sheets. 

Get this, they had tasted defeat twice in 20 games. What an opponent. What an uphill the Kenyans were up against. In previous five encounters, the Kenyans had never defeated Morocco. They lost thrice and drew twice.

As the Kenyans punched the air in merriment, their Moroccan opponents just stood still. Others covered their faces in anguish, while to the lionhearted, they only stared.

How did this happen… It wasn’t meant to end like this, but sadly, it did. Playing against 10-man Harambee Stars, surely, they knew it was a done deal. They’d be done with the business of the day in no time, they thought.

Scores on the big screen; Kenya 1 Morocco 0 only made it worse to the sobbing North African legion. Too hard to believe, yet too obvious to ignore. Beaming to thousands of fans in out of Kasarani, one couldn’t have ignored it either.

But did Harambee Stars complete the only imagined? Are they really, really into the quarterfinals of this biennial tournament? Quite hard to take in for most of the doubting Thomases, but yes, they are into the last eight.

Football isn’t a fair game. It’s not for the faint-hearted, this game. The excitement it brings forth is second to none, in its raw form.

Likewise, the heartache it delivers, is pure torment and quite unforgetful, just like those painful breakups.

In every tournament, there is always that point when a team has things going their way. When everything favours them and supporters know for sure, this is it. It’s our moment to shine. It’s our time to parade our national pride.

Oh, Harambee Stars, if only you knew how you’ve made Kenyan united, albeit for just a few days…It is worthwhile nonetheless. Quite historic, quite memorable. Pure bliss.

For Morocco, was this that night when they’d deliver as always? It felt so, but it wasn’t.

Morocco head coach Tarik Sektioui wanted to prove he is still the master in this trade and had the best workmen dressed in full white.

Truly, there can be no further debate left as to how much influence Harambee Stars coach Benni McCarthy has and will continue to have on this exciting Kenyan team.

First-timers Kenya were expected to be timid coming up against twice champions Morocco, but Ryan Ogam made all the difference with that gem of a goal. Quite historical.