Junior Starlets Captain Halima Imbachi Outlines Strategy to Overturn First Leg Cameroon Loss

Junior Starlets Captain Halima Imbachi has outlined the side's strategy to overturn their first leg 1-0 defeat to Cameroon in order to qualify for the 2025 FIFA U17 Women's World Cup.

Junior Starlets captain Halima Imbachi has made a bold promise to Kenyan fans as the side prepares to upstage Cameroon in their second leg encounter of the U17 FIFA Women’s World Cup third round encounter in Yaounde on Friday.

Stars were pushed to the limit in their hard-fought 1-0 win in the first leg of the third round FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup qualifiers at Nairobi’s Nyayo National Stadium on Sunday.

The visitors grabbed the solitary goal of the match in the 27th minute when Tiwa Melong capitalized on a poorly cleared corner by the Kenyan defence.

But from then on, it was the hosts who looked the more dangerous side, especially in the second half where they twice struck the crossbar and forced Cameroonian goalkeeper Jessica Mabou into a series of outstanding saves.

Kenya, led by head coach Mildred Cheche, dominated possession after the break and piled pressure on the two-time African U16 champions, who have also featured at two FIFA U17 World Cups. Cameroon, however, used their superior physical presence and height advantage  to run down the clock and secure a narrow away win.

This has led captain Imbachi to apologise to Kenyans, revealing what they have worked on in training to correct the blip.

“We are sorry to Kenyans because we were not able to give them a win at home, but we need your support and prayers because you are like our parents.

“The coach has worked on correcting our mistakes, so when we go there, we will make sure we apply them and add more effort while continuing with the momentum from our last performance.”

Sports Principal Secretary Elijah Mwangi meanwhile, has retaliated against the government’s commitment to collaborate with Football Kenya Federation to make sure sustainable structures are put in place to develop young talent coming through, including Junior Starlets.

“Having reached this level, it now comes down to determination. For the players, this is already a major achievement. As the Ministry of Sports, we are supporting all disciplines—we want sports in this country to rise to a level where it becomes the leading force in the region.

“Individually, the players need to nurture and develop their talents, and as a government, we are fully committed to supporting them in that journey.

"Here, I’ve heard the coaches and the girls confidently promise that they will return with a win. And we, in turn, have promised to reward that victory—not just to motivate them, but also to demonstrate our unwavering support and ensure the continuity of the sport.”

The 2025 FIFA U 17 Women's World Cup will take place from 17 October 2025 to 8 November 2025 in Morocco.

This will be the first time for the tournament to be hosted in Africa.