Harambee Starlets get one last bullet against Cameroon in WAFCON do or die qualifier

The women's national football team, Harambee Starlets, have only one job do if they want to keep alive their hopes of making the 2024 Women Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) scheduled to be played in Morocco.

Having lost 1-0 away to Cameroon in the first leg tie of the WAFCON first round qualification match played last Friday in Douala, the side currently coached by Beldin Odemba need nothing short of a win when they host the return leg on Tuesday afternoon at the Nyayo National Stadium.

Should the team fail to do so, the pool consisting of Kenya's most talented players will see their hopes of gracing the continental WAFCON tournament for a second time go up in smoke.

But boasting the likes of Jentrix Shikangwa, Esse Akida, Violet Nanjala and Terry Engesha in their attacking department, Starlets will feel confident that the task at hand is entirely not impossible when they take to the pitch.

The retuning Akida has been consistently wreaking havoc for defenders in the Greek top-tier, Nanjala is flying in Morocco while the evergreen Shikangwa always has an eye on goal when near or around the danger area.

The team will however need to overcome their first leg struggles where signs of rustiness were clear for all to see being that the encounter was their first match since 2021.

Speaking ahead of the game, Odemba exuded confidence in her side turning around the clash as the team seeks to advance to the second qualification round which is the final round of the qualifiers.

“I believe we can recover from the slim loss in Douala if we give our best. We have identified our mistakes and corrected them in training. We also understand our opponent better after the first round and are adequately prepared to tackle them for a win,” the head coach said.

“We have a game plan and if we stick to it, we will pick a win and advance,” Odemba added.

The team that wins on aggregate will qualify for the final qualification round where they will face the winner between Gabon and Botswana, with the latter holding a healthy 4-1 advantage.

In the last qualifiers for the 2022 WAFCON, Starlets managed to reach the second round following a resounding 15-1 aggregate victory over South Sudan in October 2021 and were supposed to meet Uganda’s Crested Cranes.

Unfortunately, due to the country’s FIFA suspension at the time, the team did not have the opportunity to face the neighbours, resulting in their exclusion from a possible spot in the 2022 WAFCON.

The game will kick off at 1500EAT with FKF announcing a free entry for the fans.