Ten-man Harambee Stars held Angola to a 1–1 draw in a thrilling encounter at the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani.
The match kicked off at a high tempo, with Angola making their attacking intent clear from the start, striking first after just six minutes in.
A clever move down the left saw Eddie Afonso whip in a low cross, which found Joaquim Paciencia unmarked in the box.
Kenya, however, responded swiftly; only four minutes later, Austin Odhiambo was brought down inside the box by Angolan defender Alberto Campos.
Following a VAR check, the referee pointed to the spot with Odhiambo sending the goalkeeper the wrong way and levelling the score at 1–1.
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In the 18th minute, Marvin Nabwire was initially shown a yellow card for a rough challenge on Deivi Viera just outside the Kenyan box.
However, a VAR review saw the decision upgraded to a straight red, leaving Kenya a man down for more than 70 minutes.
With the red card advantage, Angola began to control the game; Paciencia almost doubled his tally shortly after, glancing a header just wide from a Viera cross.
Miguel Viera also tested goalkeeper Bryce Omondi with a stinging shot, while Antonio Da Silva’s dangerous forays forward caused concern for the Kenyan backline.
Despite being reduced to ten men, the Harambee Stars remained composed and organized.
Omondi was particularly outstanding, making several crucial saves to deny Paciencia and Aguinaldo Matias.
The final minutes were tense; Angola thought they had snatched victory in stoppage time when Kaporal turned in a rebound after a low cross from Hossi.
However, VAR ruled the goal out for offside, much to the relief of the home fans and the Kenyan bench.
The full-time whistle confirmed a hard-earned point for Kenya, who now sit top of Group A with four points from two matches.
Angola remain third with just one point and must now win their final game to stay in contention for a quarterfinal spot.
The draw earned the national team Ksh500,000 following President William Ruto’s promise to reward the team Ksh1 million for every win and Ksh500,000 for a draw during the tournament.
