Harambee Stars Captain Abud Omar had nothing but absolute praise for Marvin Nabwire, after the midfielder sacrificed himself to save Kenya’s blushes against Angola in the African Nations Championship (CHAN 2024).
10-man Harambee Stars on Thursday night held their nerve to force a 1-1 draw against a stubborn ‘antelopes’ side at the Moi International Sports Centre Kasarani.
Playing in front of 46,525 loud fans, Benni McCarthy’s men found themselves in early trouble when Angola’s Jó Paciência tapped in from close range in the 6th minute following Beni Jetour’s cross that left Kenya’s defenders flat-footed.
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Austin Odhiambo equalised from the penalty spot six minutes later, following a VAR check. Centre referee Sadou Ali Brahamou was summoned to the screen to after Angolan forward Afonso Marques was found culpable of clipping Odhiambo’s ankles.
Ten minutes after the crucial VAR decision that went in Kenya’s favour, Kenyan fans watched in disbelief as referee Brahamou was called to the pitch side VAR monitor to asses another incident, this time, involving the Harambee Stars’ defensive line.
After Kenya defenders failed to confidently deal with a loose ball at the edge of the penalty area, coupled by an error from goalkeeper Byrne Omondi, Angola’s Alberto Adao looked to capitalise, but Nabwire, the last man, tackled him from behind to prevent an obvious goal-scoring opportunity.
The Kenya Police midfielder had been shown a yellow card initially, but the decision was escalated after a thorough VAR review. The referee had no choice but to reverse his initial decision, opting to send Nabwire off for the foul.
A wave of disappointment and frustration filled Kasarani, as Kenyan fans felt the card was harsh and unjustified.
Even though they played for more than 70 minutes with a man less, Kenya captain Omar gave Nabwire his plaudits for preventing what would have been another silly goal conceded.
“I think Nabwire’s red card won us this game. If it wasn’t for him stopping the Angola guy from scoring, we would have been speaking another language” said Omar, speaking to the media in the mixed zone.
Omar revealed McCarthy tweaked his tactics slightly at halftime, to which the team responded well.
“The coach and technical bench gave us specific instructions on what we needed to do in the second half, and the players gave their all. I am proud of them,” he explained.
Kenya faces Morocco in a crucial Group A tie at the same venue on Sunday, August 17, and Omar believes the team can complete the job against the experienced North Africans.
“All the games, we want to win. Even in this game, when we got a red card, we still found areas to try and attack and get a goal. We are showing great character and hope to keep on with the same momentum against Morocco,” said the captain.