NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 16 – Beldine Odemba will have a date with Cameroon once again, after her Rising Starlets thrashed Angola 10-1 on aggregate to qualify for the third round of qualification for the 2024 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Odemba’s senior team, the Harambee Starlets, last month eliminated Cameroon in the qualifiers for the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) and Kenya now has another opportunity to complete a double over the Central African nation.
Cameroon progressed to the third round after edging out Botswana 6-1 on aggregate, following a 4-1 victory at home in the return tie.
The Rising Starlets, playing the World Cup qualifiers for only the third time in history, dismantled Angola 4-0 away from home, with red hot Valerie Nekesa proving her mettle once again with another fine display.
She scored the opener, with Anna Arusi adding a double and Charity Midewa, who scored twice in the first leg, adding on to the haul.
Nekesa broke the deadlock after just six minutes when she ran on to a through ball from the left before side stepping the keeper and tapping into an empty net.
Arusi then gave Starlets a 2-0 lead at halftime in Luanda, curling the ball home direct for a corner to virtually put the tie to bed.
She completed her brace in the second half with a brilliant goal, turning her marker inside out on the right before striking a brilliant shot past the keeper.
Midewa put the icing on the cake with the fourth, clipping the ball over the keeper after brilliant team move by the Starlets.
