Junior Starlets Fall to Cameroon at Home

Kenya’s Junior Starlets suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat to Cameroon in the first leg of the 2025 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup third round qualifier, in a match marked by wasted chances and prolonged stoppages caused by Cameroon’s time-wasting antics at Nyayo Stadium on Sunday evening.

Coming off a commanding victory over Uganda in the previous round, Mildred Cheche’s side looked poised for another strong showing. However, an early lapse in concentration proved costly. Cameroon took the lead in the first half when Tiwa Melong pounced on poor marking from a corner to score the game’s only goal, silencing the home crowd.

Kenya nearly responded in the ninth minute, when Joy Angella Valencia threaded a sublime pass through to Brenda Achieng, who failed to convert the golden opportunity. That miss would set the tone for a frustrating evening for the Starlets.

Recognizing her side’s lack of cutting edge, coach Cheche made a bold tactical move in the 27th minute, withdrawing Achieng—who had netted a hat-trick against Uganda—and introducing the lively Windey Atieno.

The second half saw Kenya come out with renewed urgency. Just seconds after the restart, Valencia struck the crossbar with a fierce effort, and substitute Mitshell Waithera was only denied by a fine save from Cameroon keeper Jessica Mabou.

Waithera and Atieno continued to trouble the Cameroonian backline. In one of Kenya’s brightest moments, Atieno played a perfectly weighted pass that allowed Waithera to skip past the keeper, but her effort was again kept out by Mabou.

Kenya's relentless attack continued into the 54th minute when Joan Ogolla latched onto a long ball over the top, only to fire wide with the goal at her mercy. The visitors responded with increasingly cynical time-wasting tactics—players feigning injuries and slowing down play to disrupt Kenya's momentum.

In the 86th minute, Patience Asiko had a late opportunity to draw Kenya level after a powerful run into the box, but her shot drifted just wide. Moments later, Atieno tested the keeper with a direct free-kick, but there was no breakthrough.

Despite a spirited second-half performance, Kenya couldn’t capitalize on their dominance, with Cameroon’s only goal enough to claim the win.

Cheche and her players will now turn their focus to the second leg, where they must overturn the deficit to keep their World Cup dream alive.