Cheche urges Junior Starlets to be clinical as team aims to bounce back against Cameroon U17

Junior Starlets coach Mildred Cheche (C) Courtesy

By Michael Kirwa
Thursday, April 24, 2025

Junior Starlets coach Mildred Cheche has called for sharper finishing as her side prepares to face Cameroon Women U17 in a crucial second-leg clash, with a 2025 FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup spot on the line.

Junior Starlets head coach Mildred Cheche says her team will focus on being more clinical in front of goal when they face Cameroon Women U17 in the second leg of the 2025 FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup final qualifying round.

The Starlets head into the return leg trailing 1-0 on aggregate, following a narrow loss to the Central Africans in the first leg held in Nairobi on Sunday.

Cameroon secured the vital away win through a 25th-minute goal from their captain, Lys Fraîche Melong Tiwa.

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"We missed so many chances in the first leg against Cameroon, while they scored from their only real opportunity. That made the difference in the game, and tomorrow we’ll aim to be more clinical in front of goal," said Cheche, who was recently named Coach of the Year at the SOYA Awards, in an interview with Cameroonian press on Thursday.

In the first leg against the Baby Lionesses, the Junior Starlets hit the crossbar twice, and Cameroon's goalkeeper made crucial saves to deny Judith Nandwa and Mitshel Waithera. Further chances went begging as Elizabeth Ochaka and Patience Asiko both shot wide from promising positions.

Despite the setback, Cheche believes the first leg result will not determine the outcome of Friday’s decisive clash.

"We’ve already moved on from the first leg. Tomorrow is a new game, and we cannot write ourselves off. Anything can happen on Friday night, and we are prepared for all situations," she added.

Team captain Halima Imbachi echoed her coach’s confidence.

"We created more chances in the first leg. This time, we need to be sharper in front of goal because we know that could be the difference between winning and losing," Imbachi said.

She added that the team is not fazed by the prospect of playing away in front of a partisan home crowd.

"We know Cameroon are at home and will have the support of their fans. That doesn’t affect us. We believe in ourselves and are focused on playing our game," she stated.

The second leg will be played at Stade Olembe in Yaoundé, with kick-off scheduled for 9:00 pm EAT.

The Junior Starlets must win by at least two clear goals while keeping a clean sheet to book back-to-back World Cup qualification.

The 2025 FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup will take place in Morocco from October 17 to November 8. The tournament will feature 24 teams, with Africa allocated five slots, including hosts Morocco.