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Mildred Cheche has revealed what cost her charges the 1-0 defeat to Cameroon in the final qualifying round for the 2025 U17 Women's World Cup at Nyayo Stadium.
Junior Starlets coach Mildred Cheche has explained what went wrong for her charges during their 1-0 loss to Cameroon at the Nyayo National Stadium during their FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup qualifier third round clash on Sunday.
The visitors, twice African U16 champions, with two World Cup appearances, used their experience to manage the game and frustrate the hosts.
Cameroon came into the fixture having beaten Egypt 6-0 in the first round and Ethiopia 6-2 on aggregate in the second round.
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Starlets came into the fixture unbeaten in six matches, having cruised past Uganda with a 5-0 aggregate win in the second round after getting a bye in the first one. Sunday’s encounter marked the first-ever meeting between the two nations at this level.
The defeat marked Kenya’s first in seven qualifiers, but with everything still to play for in the return leg, Cheche explained what went wrong for the team during the match.
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"We had a good game. We just didn’t utilize the chances we got. We had more opportunities in front of goal than Cameroon, but we didn’t make them count. So going into the second leg, we have to work on our finishing," Cheche said.
During the game, Cheche had to make the tough decision of taking off Brenda Achieng -the two-goalscoring hero from their win against Uganda at the same venue - for Lindey Weey Atieno.
Asked by Pulse Sports why she made that decision, Cheche explained Achieng’s diminutive nature made it hard for her to be more involved in the game.
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Kenya created chances particularly at the begining of the second half, but Cameroon's time wasting tactics in this period prevented the game from finding any sort of rythm.
"Brenda had a good chance, though she didn’t have many actions because of her height. Most of the balls were played high, and she couldn’t get to them. So we had to bring in a midfielder to allow Lindy to link up with our wingers and help us exploit the spaces in between."a
Cheche also questioned the nature of officiating during the clash, questioning Cameroon’s time-wasting antics.
"There was a time they wasted about five minutes, and the referee took too long to get them off the pitch. But that’s part of the game—when you’re leading, it happens.
“In the second leg, we have to be careful about committing fouls because they’ll go down easily. We need to minimize our fouls and make sure that when we get chances, we take them. If we score, they won’t be able to waste time again."
Cameroon’s Tiwa Melong netted the match's solitary goal in minute 27, from a set piece situation, and Cheche has criticised her defenders for failing to deal with the ball in the air better.
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"For set pieces, it’s always 50/50. If your defenders don’t go up and the opponents get there first, it’s usually a goal. So the timing will be crucial. We need to make sure we win the first balls during set pieces."
"For most of the players, this is their first time being in a situation where we’re trailing. Some of them were caught by surprise and felt the pressure. “
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Cheche promised a fierce return leg as they chase a ticket to Morocco.
“Going into the second leg, there’s a lot we need to work on. We have things we must change and things we need to encourage. There are just a few areas to tweak, and yes—we are going to work on them."
The second leg will be played in Yaoundé on Friday, with the aggregate winner earning one of Africa’s four slots at the World Cup in October.
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