The Kenya Junior Starlets have made a losing start falling to England in their opening Group C match at the on-going FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup 2024 in Dominican Republic
Coach Mildred Cheche’s team that was making their debut to the big stage started well at the CFC Stadium in Santiago de los Caballetros on Friday, but failed to find the punch at the England goal. Kenya conceded a penalty after 29 minutes through Lola Sangita Brown and a late goal after 87 minute through Lauryn Ida Belle Thompson.
The duo of Marion Serenge and Valerie Nekesa kept the England defending line busy, but failed to find the break through to score.
“Although we lost our opening match, I am happy that the team gave their best but made a few mistakes especially defensively. We must now prepare for the next match against Korea DPR,” said coach Cheche.
Korea DPR who humbled Mexico 4-1 in the opening match are now top of Group C, while Kenya are in third place. The Kenya Junior Starlets will conclude their group stage matches against Mexico on the October 24th, 2024.
The top two teams from each of the four groups will advance to the quarterfinals, while the bottom two will exit the tournament. This will be the last U17 World Cup with 16 teams, as the tournament will expand to 24 teams from the 2025 edition.
Source: Cecafa Online
