Harambee Starlets rout hapless Seychelles

Harambee Starlets forward Valerie Nekesa contests for the ball with Seychelles’ Lisa Dubois during their Olympic qualifier at Ulinzi Sports Complex. [Stafford Ondego, Standard]

Harambee Starlets launched their quest for a ticket to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games in style as they drubbed Seychelles 11-0 in the first leg of the second round of Confederation of African Football (CAF) qualifiers at Ulinzi Sports Complex.

Eager to erase the painful memories of their scoreless exit at the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon), the Kenyans unleashed total offensive dominance from the start to the final whistle. The victory was Starlets biggest win in seven years, echoing their astonishing 12-0 demolition of Djibouti in a CECAFA women’s championship back in November 2019.

Speaking after the match, Starlets interim coach Godfrey Oduor said that he was delighted to have won his first game as the team’s tactician and he was looking forward to better performances.

“It was a good game; the players were tasked to represent us well and we are very grateful for a job well done,” Oduor said.

"It’s a great feeling to have won the first game and I think we will continue so our girls can register good results. We now focus on the return leg match because victory in that game is crucial. After all, we want to play in the second round."

His Seychelles equal, Chris Yip-Au, said that they started well in the first half but failed to keep the momentum in the second, hence the heavy defeat.

“I think we started the first half well and it took Kenya a while to break the deadlock but I think the second half was more of a fitness and weather issue,” Yip-Au said.

Harambee Starlets’ Elizabeth Muteshi celebrates scoring against Seychelles in their Olympic qualifier at Ulinzi Sports Complex. [Stafford Ondego, Standard]

She added that they were keen to play better in the second leg, though she doesn’t expect much change because Harambee Starlets are way above her team. From the onset, Harambee Starlets threatened their guests with relentless attacking pressure, with Vallarie Nekesa leading the goal hunt. Nekesa was among the experienced players in the starting 11 as Oduor opted to have the likes of captain Mwanahalima Adam, star striker Jentrix Shikangwa and Corazone Aquino on the bench.

Nekesa put Starlets in the lead in the eighth minute, with Elizabeth Muteshi making it 2-0 in the 25th minute. Nekesa added her second in the 43rd minute to give the Kenyans a 3-0 half-time advantage.

The goals kept raining in the second half as Muteshi completed her brace in the 54th minute. Airin Madalina, Mercy Airo and Elizabeth Mideva, who came off the bench, all bagged braces, with Martha Amunyolete also putting her name on the scoresheet. Having done the heavy lifting and leaving no room for Seychelles to salvage their campaign, Starlets will be looking to complete the job on Monday so they can book the third-round date with Malawi or Zimbabwe.

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