Rising Starlets’ World Cup dream ends with loss to Cameroon
By Collins Amanga, November 17, 2023Kenya’s aspirations for the 2024 FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup came to an end as the Under-20 Rising Starlets succumbed to a 3-2 defeat against Cameroon at Nyayo Stadium in the return leg on Friday.
Having already faced a 3-0 defeat in the first leg in Yaounde, the Rising Starlets faced an uphill battle, requiring a 3-0 win to force a penalty shootout or a 4-0 victory to secure a direct win and avoid penalties.
Rising Starlets go down again
The journey proved challenging as they conceded a goal just 24 minutes into the game. Naomi Leslie extended Cameroon’s aggregate lead to 4-0 with her long-range effort.
Heading into halftime with a 1-0 deficit, Coach Beldine Odemba made strategic changes, substituting Judith Nandwa for Charity Midewa.
Midewa made an immediate impact by equalizing for Kenya, bringing the score to 1-1 just a minute after stepping onto the field.
However, Leslie restored Cameroon’s lead from the penalty spot in the 60th minute and further extended it to a 3-1 advantage with another goal a minute later.
Rising Starlets pull back
Midewa once again found the net with a header in the 78th minute, resulting in a final score of 3-2.
Despite the late efforts, the last 12 minutes did not produce more goals, and Cameroon secured a double over Kenya with an aggregate of 6-2.
Cameroon will now advance to face the winner of the Congo-Egypt match.