FIFA U17 WWCQ: Junior Starlets edge Namibia to take advantage ahead of second-leg tie in Nairobi

Kenya women’s U17 national team - Junior Starlets - are one step closer to the second round of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Qualifiers after securing a 2-1 victory over Namibia in the opening leg of the first round at the UNAM Stadium in Windhoek, Namibia.

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Starlets, who are looking to make the global tournament for the second time in three years, needed two goals inside the first six minutes to stamp their authority over their much inexperienced visitors, taking a slim advantage to the home return leg on Saturday, 18 April at the Ulinzi Sports Complex in Lang’ata.

Midfield dynamo Lindey Weey Atieno gave Mildred Cheche's side the lead after only two minutes, when she lifted a long-range shot over goalkeeper Sylvia Tunga, before Faith Boke scored a quick second in the sixth minute to seemingly put the first-leg tie to bed.

Starlets were then guilty of missing a host of chances thereafter, and failed to add to their tally, even as Namibia restored some hope of advancing, with a late goal by substitute Khloe Awases in the 85th minute.

Match Report

For the first time since 2024, Junior Starlets were tasked with another challenge of overcoming a series of three double-legged qualifiers to make the promised land, and they managed to kick off proceedings in a fairly decent manner.

Initially built-up as a rocky period in regards integrating new and fresh faces to the national set-up, it was Cheche's pair of experienced girls that put the visitors on their way to victory, with a couple of early goals.

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The first goal was a piece of beauty from Atieno, part of the previous U17 iterations, who connected with a Namibia clearance to smack a second-minute shot past the goalkeeper from just inside her own half.

It would not take long for the net to ripple once more for Kenya, as another old-guard - Boke - drove with the ball on the right wing to sneak a low shot past the Namibia keeper, giving the visitors a 2-0 lead inside six minutes.

Kenya's advantage did not stop there, as the team in white kept peppering the Namibia goal, who had been reduced to sitting ducks.

Mwanakombo Bakari, also part of the experience in the squad, had her long-range shot expertly tipped over by the goalkeeper in the 22nd minute, with Gaudancia Maloba seeing her 34th minute effort from a corner just bounce over the bar.

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The quick Brenda Awuor then had a chance to add to the tally, but for her shot in the 38th minute to kiss the crossbar.

Namibia, with their only notable foray forward, thought to have halved the deficit in the 42nd minute when Kanene Tjizuu looped over goalkeeper Mishel Okoyo, only for the assistant referee's flag to go up.

The visitors went close once more in first-half added time, when Emily Adhiambo cut in and shot from the right, but for her effort to be snuffed out by the legs of Tunga.

There was still time for Maloba to let another chance go begging, firing over a loose ball with the goal-gaping.

And while the first-half was all Kenya, the second period was anything but, as Namibia momentarily took hold of proceedings, managing to effectively keep a close eye on their rampant opponents.

Having subbed out goalscorer Atieno during the break, Kenya went a tad stale, failing to create clear-cut opportunities, and only threatened to add to the score in the 75th minute, when the active substitute Fleviah Khatenje blazed over a shot that was laid to her path by Boke.

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Having only seen one of their shots go on target, Namibia were fortunate to score from their second, this as second-half substitute Awases pounced to turn in a rebound, after Okoyo had done well to get to the end of a low shot in the 85th minute.

That goal, combined with Kenya's profligacy, makes up for an interesting return-leg in six days' time.