Brave effort by Kenya's U17 girls in World Cup debut against England

A spirited effort from Kenya came unstuck after a goal in either half by England ensured the Rising Stars' FIFA Under-17 Women's World Cup debut ended in a 2-0 defeat at the Estadio Cibao FC in the Dominican Republic.

Kenya posted a promising start to the game and took only two minutes to muster their first effort on target when Valarie Nekesa’s ambitious shot provided easy pickings for the keeper. Despite the early push, England soon settled into the game, dictating the tempo and nearly scoring in the 18th minute when Isabella Fisher guided her effort over the bar from a deep cross that caught the Kenyan defense napping.

Fisher was handed a chance to atone for her close-range miss two minutes later, but her glancing header was safely gathered by Velma Abwire in goal. The Arsenal forward proved to be a menace, unleashing a thunderbolt from the edge of the penalty area in the 27th minute, but Abwire kept Kenya’s sheet clean with a solid save.

That quickly changed a minute later when England were awarded a penalty following a handball by Diana Anyango, prompting the referee to point to the spot. Lola Brown stepped up and converted the penalty, sending Abwire the right way but still finding the net.

Junior Starlets fall 2-0 to England in U17 World Cup debut. pic.twitter.com/OsW6qexyIN

— The Eastleigh Voice (@Eastleighvoice) October 18, 2024

Kenya had their hearts in their mouths three minutes after the half-hour mark when Rebecca Odato inadvertently stepped on Omotara Junaid’s foot. England appealed to the Video Support Referee for a potential red card, but the referee maintained her decision of issuing just a yellow card, leaving England with one appeal remaining.

Omotara was in the thick of things again in the 38th minute, receiving a defense-splitting pass from Vera Jones, but Abwire was quick off her line to neutralize the threat. England nearly doubled their lead just before halftime when Laila Harbert’s long-range effort nearly slipped through Abwire’s grasp, but she recovered just in time, sending Kenya into the break trailing 1-0.

Mildred Cheche’s charges returned for the second half with renewed energy, but decision-making in the final third limited their offensive threat, leaving Hope McSheffrey largely untested in the England goal. Although the half saw few chances, Kenya came close to equalizing when Nekesa went on a lung-bursting run, beating her marker before narrowly missing the target.

Kenya used one of their appeals to review an incident just before Nekesa’s shot, claiming a slight pullback by the England defender, but the referee saw no foul. England sealed the win in the 87th minute when substitute Laura Thompson intercepted a loose ball and fired it into the net off the right-hand post, leaving Kenya with a 2-0 defeat.

Despite the loss, head coach Mildred Cheche expressed satisfaction with her team's overall performance, highlighting their resilience and defensive organization. “I am happy with how the team was defensively organized and showed the power to run behind the opponent. Overall, we did well as per the plan,” Cheche said. She singled out Marion Serenge for praise, adding, “Marion Serenge played really well; I think she showed good speed. All that is left for us is to continue pushing her, and hopefully, she will be a really big player."

With the defeat, Kenya sits third in Group C following North Korea's 4-1 victory over Mexico.