The Kenya Under 18 girls team suffered a 6-4 defeat to China in the closely contested finals of the International Sports Federation (ISF) Football World Cup played on Sunday 26 May at the Souyuwan Stadium in Dalian, China.
The match ended 1-1 and was decided on post-match penalties. Clotilda Auma scored the sole penalty for Kenya during the match. In the post-match penalties, Joy Marvelous, Faith Baraza, Ruth Akinyi, and Auma shone bright.
Run to the finals
The girls defied all manner of odds to reach the final stage. They were placed in Pool F together with Germany, England, and Ghana.
They started off on a high, seeing off Germany 1-0 through Elizabeth Mideva’s sole goal. They would then see off England 2-1. Joy Marvelous scored the goals in the match.
Following that, the Kenyans shared a 2-2 spoil with fellow Africans Ghana in the final pool match to proceed to the semifinals.
At this stage, the high-spirited ladies defeated Brazil 3-1. Mideva, Michelle Waithera, and Clotilda Auma scored the goals in the match to see the team proceed to the finals.
The win assured them of a final spot where they went down to China after a spirited fight. Despite that, the team’s head coach Maurice Okello Okumu remained confident that his charges’ lived up to the billing. He was optimistic that if exposed to such high-intensity matches, they would perform even better.
“I am very satisfied with the girls performance. They gave this final their best. They initially considered themselves underdogs coming to the match, but every win motivated them to soar higher. Reaching this stage shows they are very optimistic and talented. They deserve their flowers,” Okumu told Mozzart Sport after the match.
Boys’ run
Meanwhile, the boys too did not disappoint. They were placed in Pool G together with Uganda, Benin, and Taipei.
They kicked off their title hunt with a 2-1 victory over Benin before humbling Taipei 4-2. They however failed to sparkle after going down 2-0 to East African neighbors Uganda. The loss to Uganda saw them miss out on the top slot in their pool.
They would then register a 3-0 loss to Qatar before suffering a 1-0 loss in the hands of New Zealand in the position-hunting match. They ended their campaign with a 6-1 loss to Czech Republic.
The Kenyan teams that represented were selected from the inaugural Talanta Hela U19 football tournament which happened last year.
In April 2024, they trained in Spain under the tutelage of international coaches. It was that same month that they went ahead to excel in the prestigious Costa Daurada Cup where the boys were crowned winners and the girls came in second.
Several girls from the U17 team will be among the youngsters representing the Harambee Starlets in the upcoming rounds of the qualifiers to the 2024 U17 Women’s World Cup slated for October in the Dominican Republic.
About ISF Football World Cup
The 2024 ISF Football World Cup brought together a total of 56 teams from different countries across the globe. 37 boys teams graced the tournament with 19 girls teams marking present.
Apart from the competition, the youngsters were treated to different activities like cultural visits to the Dalian Forest Zoo, the Sculpture Park, Donggang Tourist Resort and other scenic spots.
The organizers also scheduled a Nations Night which was aimed at promoting cultural exchanges among the participating countries and regions. Teams provided jerseys signed by all their players to display on the exhibition wall of jerseys.
Attendees also got an opportunity to learn traditional Chinese culture courses through diverse and amazing practices.
They also had the golden opportunity of training at the Dalian Football Youth Training Base and the Dalian Sports Center.
