Rising Starlets’ World Cup dream ends with loss to Cameroon

Kenya’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.