It's do or die as Harambee Starlets face Cameroon from 3pm at Nyayo
Football
By
Washington Onyango
| Sep 26, 2023
Harambee Starlets will be seeking to progress to the second round of the 2024 Women's Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) qualifiers ahead of their first-round return leg against Cameroon at Nyayo stadium on Tuesday afternoon (today) from 3pm.
To achieve that, Starlets must defeat the Indomitable Lionesses by two goals without reply.
Kenya lost 1-0 to Cameroon last Friday in Douala during the first leg, a deficit they must overturn to stand a chance of progressing to the next stage.
Harambee Starlets head coach Beldine Odemba said she is confident of qualifying for the WAFCON despite their first leg defeat.
"I believe my team still has a chance to qualify. We have noted areas to work on and we are ready for the return leg in Nairobi," she said.
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Harambee Starlets last took part in an international fixture in 2021, so the fact that they were able to give Cameroon a run for their money gave Odemba a lot of encouragement.
"It feels good because this is good exposure. All is not lost. We have a chance to qualify. We are ready for the return leg. We are still in this," said Odemba.
An aggregate win for Starlets hands them a ticket to the second and final round of qualification, where they play the winner between Gabon and Botswana.
However, history is against Kenya who have never beaten Cameroon.
The last time the two sides met, Starlets lost 9-0 on aggregate after going down 5-0 at home and 4-0 away.
The narrow 1-0 defeat away this time round however gives Kenya hopes of perherps rewriting history.