Rising Starlets’ Odemba confident despite U20 WCQ loss to Cameroon

Rising Starlets head coach Beldine Odemba has confidence that her charges will deliver against Cameroon during the U20 FIFA Women’s World Cup qualifiers that will be played on Friday, November 17, 2023.

Rising Starlets face a huge task ahead given that they lost 3-0 on Saturday in the first leg in Yaounde, but Odemba says she is hopeful of a positive outcome as the second leg offers them a fighting chance.

“Football is war; every competition is war. Nobody goes to the battle field thinking of dying; you go there to defend yourself, hoping you will come out alive. We have a second chance in this battle,” Odemba told the media.

Pressure

While stating that the girls have now gelled more than before, Odemba also explained how they are dealing with the pressure.

“The camp is good; the girls are ready. The training was better; they are improving daily, and I can say the team has gelled.

“There is always pressure to perform and give good results. I would not say I feel the pressure; I will just say we are working well and doing our best to get the best result we can get,” she added.

The tactician, who also handles the senior side, Harambee Starlets and helped them overcome Cameroon in a Women’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifier and advance to the next round, explained what their training dwelled on.

“We have done our analysis and seen our weaknesses, where they beat us, and so this week has been about working on our weak sides,” she said.

She also discussed what she thinks made them lose the away game a few days ago.

“The biggest challenge was that we took a long time to gel. We have not had a friendly this week, but when you watch the game, you will see the difference.

“There is something about playing at home with the Starlets. We hope the supporters come and push the girls,” she added.

Just like in the first leg match, Rising Starlets will miss eight of their players who have been absent, given that they are sitting for their national examinations, the Kenya Certificate for Secondary School (KCSE) test.