Tunisia, Kenya set for historic first meeting as both seek revival at AFCON U20

Kenya's Rising Stars pose for a group photo before a past game (C) Courtesy

By Erick Kariuki
Sunday, May 4, 2025

The Rising Stars, Kenya's U20 men's football National team, takes on Tunisia this evening hoping for redemption after losing to Morocco in their opening game of the ongoing U20 AFCON in Egypt.

A make-or-break clash awaits in Group B of the CAF U-20 Africa Cup of Nations as Tunisia and Kenya lock horns for the first time in the competition’s history on Sunday evening in Cairo. With kick-off set for 6:00 PM EAT, both sides enter the fixture knowing only a win can revive their fading hopes of reaching the knockout stage.

Tunisia opened their 2025 campaign with a narrow 1-0 defeat to Nigeria, continuing a concerning trend of early stumbles at the finals. The North Africans have now lost their opening matches in two consecutive tournaments, having also been beaten 1-0 by Gambia in 2023.

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More troubling, however, is their current form, they are winless in their last four tournament games, suffering three straight defeats and failing to score in all of them. It has been 271 minutes since Tunisia last found the net, that goal coming in a dramatic 3-3 draw against Congo in the 2023 quarter-finals.

Statistically, Tunisia’s scoring drought is stark, in their last seven tournament matches, they have failed to score in five and have netted just four goals three in that lone game against Congo. Their only wins in their last 13 tournament outings came against Namibia (2021) and Zambia (2023).

Still, history offers them a sliver of optimism, Tunisia have never lost their second group match in the tournament’s current format. After opening with a draw in 2021, they defeated Namibia. In 2023, following an opening defeat, they drew against Benin. Sunday’s clash thus represents a crucial test of whether they can uphold that tradition or spiral into an uncharacteristic double-defeat start.

Standing in their way is a spirited Kenyan side still buzzing from a performance that, despite ending in defeat, raised eyebrows. Making only their second appearance at the continental finals, Kenya pushed North African giants Morocco to the limit in their opener, taking an early lead and scoring twice before eventually falling 3-2.

Lawrence Ouma’s 16th-minute strike marked Kenya’s first-ever goal at the U-20 AFCON, and Hassan Beja’s performance up front with three shots on target proved Kenya are not just here to make up the numbers.

Although they enjoyed just 38.4% possession in that match, the Junior Stars registered seven shots on target, showing a direct and fearless style of play. Midfielder Baron Ochieng led the team in touches with 50, while goalkeeper Bernard Jairo made six saves from nine shots on target, posting a 66.7% save success rate.

Kenya have now scored four goals and conceded seven in just three games at the U-20 finals, all of which have produced winners, a statistic that exhibits both their vulnerability and their attacking threat.

This will be Kenya’s second consecutive match against North African opposition, following the narrow loss to Morocco. Tunisia, meanwhile, faced East African opponents for the first time since their heavy 4-1 defeat to Uganda in the 2021 semi-finals, their heaviest loss in tournament history. That result will not have faded from memory and will add extra edge to this clash.

For both teams, Sunday’s showdown is more than just a group fixture, it’s a battle for survival. With Nigeria and Morocco currently leading the group, defeat would all but eliminate either side from quarter-final contention.

Tunisia must rediscover their scoring touch and defensive solidity, while Kenya will need to tighten up at the back without sacrificing the attacking flair that made them so dangerous in their opener.