Down but not out, Junior Starlets vow to bounce back against Cameroon
With Cameroon carrying an away goal advantage, the Junior Starlets will need to win by at least 2-0 to secure a place at the 2025 FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup, scheduled to take place in Morocco from October 17 to November 8.
Junior Starlets head coach Mildred Cheche has vowed that her team will bounce back against Cameroon Women U17 in the second leg of their 2025 FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup final qualifying round tie.
The Junior Starlets’ six-match unbeaten run in World Cup qualifier fixtures came to an end on Sunday at the Nyayo National Stadium, as the Cameroonians snatched a 1-0 victory. The result also marked the end of the Starlets’ impressive run of six consecutive clean sheets in the qualifiers.
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Despite creating chances to turn the game around, Kenya were left frustrated after efforts from Brenda Achieng’ and Mwanakombo Bakari struck the crossbar, while Cameroon’s goalkeeper, Jessica Mabou, pulled off two fine saves to deny Mitshel Waithera.
“It was a tough match and we missed a lot of chances. The contest is still open, and we are going to fight hard in the second leg to secure victory,” said Cheche after the match.
Ahead of the fixture, Cheche had remarked on the tendency of players at this level to lack the discipline to consistently adhere to tactical instructions — a shortcoming that often results in matches being decided by individual brilliance or mistakes.
Despite dominating possession against Cameroon, the Starlets failed to create as many clear-cut opportunities as expected. Cheche pointed to the players’ hesitation in making decisive passes during attacking moves as a key issue.
“There are definitely corrections we need to make before the return leg,” she said. “After conceding, our players panicked and became desperate in their search for an equaliser. That led to mistakes, which we’ll work on.”
This is the first time the Junior Starlets find themselves trailing in a World Cup qualifying tie, having enjoyed a dominant campaign up to this point.
Captain Halima Imbachi echoed her coach’s sentiments, acknowledging the challenge ahead but expressing confidence in the team’s ability to overturn the deficit and achieve a historic back-to-back qualification for the World Cup.
“Cameroon were physical, but technically there’s no gap between us. We were the better team today, and we believe we can win the second leg,” Imbachi said.
For Cameroon, the victory was a significant step in breaking their run of poor results against East African sides, having previously lost to Tanzania and Uganda in World Cup qualifying matches.
Commenting on the match, Cameroon head coach Joseph Brian Ndoko praised the turnout at Nyayo National Stadium and admitted the contest was decided by fine margins.
“First, I commend Kenyans for turning out in large numbers to support their team. It’s rare to see such attendance at U17 women’s matches in Africa,” said Ndoko, who previously led Cameroon at the 2018 WAFCON in Ghana.
“Today’s match was tough and could have gone either way because Kenya played very well. It was a close encounter decided by small margins that worked in our favour,” he added, remaining tight-lipped about his preparations for the return leg. “I don’t know yet,” he said.
When asked whether his side resorted to play-acting and time-wasting tactics in the second half to counter Kenya’s intensity, Ndoko defended his players, claiming they were on the receiving end of aggressive play.
“The increased intensity wasn’t an issue for us. Kenya was aggressive, and our players suffered many fouls which the referee overlooked,” Ndoko said.
The second leg of the tie will be played in Yaoundé on Friday, April 25, 2025.
With Cameroon carrying an away goal advantage, the Junior Starlets will need to win by at least 2-0 to secure a place at the 2025 FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup, scheduled to take place in Morocco from October 17 to November 8.
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