NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 8 – Kenya’s Rising Starlets were in a class of their own, thrashing Angola 6-1 at the Nyayo National Stadium to put one foot into the third round of qualification for next year’s U20 Women’s World Cup.
Valerie Nekesa scored a hattrick with Charity Midewo adding a brace as Beldine Odemba’s girls put the Angolans to the sword and ensure their maiden qualification to the Cup of Nations remains afloat.
Starlets had a perfect start when Nekesa scored the opener after just four minutes, racing to a through ball before slipping the ball past the keeper.
She scored a similar goal just three minutes later, once again beating the backline with pace to pick out a defense splitting pass and just touching it beyond the shot stopper who had come off her line.
Odemba’s girls were enjoying themselves, passing the ball around well while the Angolans struggled to get into the game.
In the 10th minute, Nekesa was denied an early hattrick by the keeper who made a good point blank block to deny the forward’s shot from a Midewa cutback.
Angola swung into a change early on with Maria Isabel being pulled out and replaced by Domingas Mutolo as they sought to get a balance in the game.
But instead it was the hosts who would be more comfortable as Nekesa added her third in similar fashion. This time, it was Midewa who threaded a defense splitting through ball for her mate to complete her hattrick.
Angola pulled one back immediately when Ivone Julio struck a brilliant shot from inside the box, to give themselves some minor hope of a comeback.
But, Kenya continued to dominate with more chances, Elizabeth Muteshi hitting over from the edge of the area before Nekesa miscued a cross from Fasila Adhiambo to send the ball wide from close range.
But, at the stroke of halftime, the girls would add the fourth, Midewo sending a scorching freekick beyond the keeper from range, almost the same distance Cynthia Shilwatso scored for the senior team against Cameroon.
In the second half, it was more dominance for Kenya as they sought to keep the ball more and open up spaces.
On the hour mark, it was 5-1 when Midewo completed her brace with a close range header at the near post from a freekick.
Two substitutes then combined for the six goal, Faith Naliaka scoring with the second bite of the cherry after her initial shot off an Elizabeth Mideva cross was blocked.
The visitors couldn’t conjure any sort of comeback as the Kenyan girls utterly dominated and couldn’t allow even a single shot on target against them.
They now head to Luanda for the return leg next weekend, and they only need to avoid defeat or even in the worse, a defeat of less than four goals to make it to the penultimate qualification round, where a duel between either Cameroon or Botswana awaits.
