Rising Starlets eliminate Angola to book second-round date with Cameroon in FIFA U-20 World Cup qualifiers

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FOOTBALL Rising Starlets eliminate Angola to book second-round date with Cameroon in FIFA U-20 World Cup qualifiers

Festus Chuma 20:06 - 14.10.2023

Kenya's U-20 women's team, the Rising Starlets, dominated FIFA U20 Women's World Cup qualifiers with a 10-1 aggregate victory over Angola.

The Kenya women's U-20 national team, known as the Rising Starlets, has secured a spot in the next round of the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup qualifiers after a resounding victory over Angola in the return leg on Saturday.

In a dominating performance, they walloped Angola with an emphatic 4-1 victory in the return leg, held at Estadio 22 de Junho in Luanda, Angola. This impressive win cemented their aggregate lead at an astonishing 10-1.

The Rising Starlets entered the second leg match with a significant advantage, having previously defeated Angola 6-1 in the first leg, which took place in Nairobi the weekend before.

The victory secured Kenya's place in the second round of the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup qualifiers, and their next challenge would be a matchup against Cameroon. 

Cameroon had advanced to this stage by defeating Botswana 2-1 in their home leg and securing a 4-1 aggregate victory. 

In the match held in Luanda, Angola, Kenya displayed their prowess early on, taking the lead in the sixth minute thanks to a goal by Valerie Nekesa. 

Their dominance continued, and in the 36th minute, Rebecca Kwoba found the back of the net to double Kenya's advantage.Despite their early setbacks, Angola had moments where they could have turned the tide.

In the first half, Amelia Jesus William had a golden opportunity when she was left one-on-one with Scovia Awuor, but she failed to convert. 

Another chance came when Maria Chitupi delivered a tantalizing cross that could have been nodded into an empty net, but the opportunity slipped away.

The second half witnessed a shift in momentum as Kenya appeared to ease off the gas, allowing Angola to take control of possession. 

However, despite their dominance, Angola struggled to breach the resilient defense of the Rising Starlets. Instead, it was Kenya who extended their lead with a third goal in the 57th minute, courtesy of Ann Arusi.

The hosts had another chance in the 70th minute when Rifina Pedro met a right-wing cross. However, her 12-yard header missed the target, a missed opportunity that occurred without any pressure from a defender.

Kenya continued to dominate play, and they managed to score the fourth goal in the four minutes of added time to seal the massive win.

How they lined up:

Rising Starlets: Scovia Awuor, Faith Atieno, Mollyne Akinyi, Rebecca Kwoba, Jane Hato, Anna Arusi, Elizabeth Muteshi, Valerie Nekesa, Fasila Adhiambo, Emilly Okute, Rachael Adhiambo.

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