Rising Starlets midfielder targets World Cup dream ahead of decisive Tanzania clash
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Reading Time: 2min | Fri. 13.02.26. | 13:40
Kenya will battle Tanzania on Saturday, 14 February, at the Azam Complex in Dar es Salaam from 1600 hrs, with a place in the final round at stake
Rising Starlets midfielder Sunira Manda Were has set her sights on the 2026 FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup as Kenya prepares to face Tanzania in the return leg of the qualifiers.
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Kenya will battle Tanzania on Saturday, 14 February, at the Azam Complex in Dar es Salaam from 1600 hrs, with a place in the final round at stake.
The clash follows Rising Starlets’ 1-0 victory in the first leg played on February 7 at the Ulinzi Sports Complex, a match they missed.
After earning a call-up ahead of the decisive return leg, the Zetech Sparks midfielder has made her ambitions clear about competing on the global stage.
“The match is very important for us in our quest to achieve the greater goal of playing in the World Cup,” said Were.
“We have trained well and worked on the weaknesses that we noticed from the first leg. We know that it will not be an easy match, but neither are we. We will fight and hopefully secure a win,” she added.
The Moi Girls High School, Eldoret, alumna believes the pressure will rest squarely on Tanzania as they play at home, a factor she feels could work in Kenya’s favor.
“It is our opponents who are under pressure because for us, we already have an advantage from the first-leg win and are therefore just going to confirm that it was not by fluke,” she said.
Midfielder Pearl Olesi, who started in the engine room during the first leg, believes Kenya gained a psychological edge after sensing fear from their opponents.
“The opponents were strong but looked scared of us. We have a smaller body structure but have proven to deliver and therefore promise a win in the match,” she stated.
Patience Asiko is equally determined to silence the hosts on their own turf after Tanzania head coach Bertha Marco Kazobe attributed the first-leg defeat to the bumpy surface at Ulinzi.
“Even though they said that our stadium was bad and theirs is better, we want to prove that we can win on whichever ground. We urge our fans and Kenyans in Tanzania to show up in large numbers to support us, and we assure them of a win,” she remarked.