Harambee Stars have been knocked out of the African Nations Championship (CHAN) following a dramatic showdown with Madagascar that ended in a 4-3 penalty shootout defeat.
Despite a promising start and spells of dominance, Kenya couldn’t capitalize fully on their momentum.
The first half was cagey, with both sides showing glimpses of creativity but failing to break the deadlock.
The match burst into life early in the second half. In the 48th minute, Boniface Muchiri delivered a stunning overhead free-kick from outside the box, finding Alphonse Omija, who rose to head the ball home and ignite celebrations among the home fans.
Kenya looked to have doubled their lead just five minutes later when Ryan Ogam found the back of the net.
However, VAR intervened and disallowed the goal, citing that the ball had gone out of play during the build-up.
Madagascar found their way back into the contest in the 70th minute after Lewis Bandi handled the ball inside the box. Fenihasima Gilles Razafimaro made no mistake from the spot, calmly levelling the score.
With both sides unable to find a winner in regular time, extra time saw frantic end-to-end action.
Kenya came close, with Michael Kibwage’s effort cleared off the line and both Siraj Mohammed and Odongo denied by a resilient Malagasy defence.
The match was ultimately decided by penalties. Madagascar held their composure, converting four of their spot-kicks, while Kenya faltered—Omija and Kibwage both missed their attempts.
Madagascar now await the winner between Sudan and Algeria in the semi-finals.
