Kenya’s Junior Starlets put on an impressive second-half performance, but it wasn’t enough to secure the desired result against two-time Fifa Under-17 Women’s World Cup champions Korea DPR, losing 3-0.
The Asian team showed their intent early in the game, and their stylish display was rewarded just eight minutes after kick-off when Ryo Giong unleashed a left-footed rocket from the edge of the box after collecting a neat pass from Ho Kiong.
Kiong proved dangerous inside the Kenyan yard, orchestrating the second goal. A beautiful exchange of passes ended at Giong’s feet, and she fired a powerful shot beyond the reach of Junior Starlets’ goalkeeper Velma Abwire, extending the lead to 2-0 inside 10 minutes.
Kenya returned to the dressing rooms bruised but determined, showing improvement in the second half.
Their ball handling, passing accuracy, and possession improved significantly, but their hopes for a comeback were dashed when Ru Kuk-Hyang headed home the third goal from a Choe Rim Jong cross in the 86th minute.
Having lost 2-0 to England in their Group C opener, a second successive loss marked the end of Kenya’s campaign.
The Junior Starlets’ troubles were compounded by England’s 4-2 victory over Mexico in another Group C battle.
With back-to-back wins, the Young Lionesses and Korea DPR secured passage to the second round, while Kenya and Mexico exited the tournament.
Coach Mildred Cheche described the experience as a learning curve, drawing important lessons for future competitions.
“In terms of how we need to prepare our players mentally and tactically, we’ve picked vital lessons that we can work on when we get back home. This will help us achieve better results when we get such opportunities again,” Cheche noted.
Despite the setback, the Junior Starlets have already made history by qualifying for their first-ever global tournament and aim to finish strong in Santo Domingo on Thursday against Mexico.
Coach Cheche added that the Kenyan girls would give their all on the pitch in a bid to register their first win at the U-17 World Cup.
“We will push for maximum points in that game, just as we aimed to do in the last two matches. As the technical bench, we’ll push the girls to get something and avoid going home empty-handed. Of course, we understand there are no easy matches, and we respect our opponents. That means we need to be at our best to achieve our goal.”
Among the three African representatives at the tournament, Nigeria has been the most successful, advancing to the quarterfinals after two wins in their first two group-stage games.
The West Africans thrashed New Zealand 4-1 in their opener and followed it up with a 4-0 victory over Ecuador.
Zambia, however, has been eliminated after failing in their bid for glory. They lost 1-0 to Brazil and suffered a 2-0 defeat to Poland on Sunday.
The tournament, which began on October 16, is set to conclude on November 3, with reigning champions Spain looking sharp in their title defense.