The national under-17 girls’ football team, the Junior Starlets, suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat to Cameroon in the first leg of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup qualifiers at Nyayo Stadium on Sunday evening.
Tiwa Melong gave the Baby Lionesses the lead in the 25th minute, heading home from a corner after Kenya’s defense failed to clear their lines effectively.
The early goal seemed to sap the energy from the Starlets, whose midfield struggled to regain rhythm under pressure from the physically dominant Cameroonians.
Coach Mildred Cheche responded by replacing Brenda Achieng with Linda Atieno, but the home side continued to battle for control in midfield.
Cheche made another key change at halftime, introducing Patience Asiko—a move that injected much-needed creativity and energy into the team.
The Starlets started the second half brightly, with Mwanakombo Bakari rattling the crossbar just five minutes after the restart, beating goalkeeper Jessica Mabou with a thunderous effort.
Asiko followed up the rebound, but her effort lacked power, allowing Mabou to recover and make the save.
Lorine Ilavonga came close again in the 72nd minute, her shot flying just over the bar with Mabou scrambling.
Despite their improved second-half performance, the Starlets couldn’t find an equalizer, leaving it all to play for in the return leg.
The two sides will clash again in the decisive second leg in Yaoundé on Friday, with a spot at the 2025 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco hanging in the balance.
