Copa: Kenya tackle Botswana in hunt for second win

Vanessa Nangekhe ((left) of Kenya battles for the ball with Temdai Museza (right) of Zimbawe during the Copa Coca -cola under 16 Africa Cup at Nakuru High school grounds on December 10,2018.Photo:Kipsang Joseph/Standard

Kenyan lads out to maintain a good run

Kenya tackle Botswana in hunt for second win

South Africa top Group D with four points with a win and a draw against Angola and Tanzania.

Kenya will be out to maintain their fine form when they take on Botswana in their second Group A match of the ongoing Copa Under-16 Africa Cup at Nakuru High School. 

Kenyans began their campaign on a high note thrashing Ethiopia 11-1 and hope to repeat similar performance today. Team coach Peter Mayoyo said they will not underrate their opponents who are new to them. 

“We have to play well, l because we want to maintain our good run. Botswana is new to us but we will watch them play Ethiopia so we can see what their strengths and weaknesses because it will help us know how to tackle them,” Mayoyo said. 

Having watched South Africa, Nigeria, Zambia and Tanzania play he noted that they are a threat to their ambitions. “Even though we won our opening match convincingly, we just have to be at our best because competition is stiff and all teams are equal to task. Nonetheless, South Africa, Nigeria, Zambia and Tanzania stand out as favourites to go all the way to the final,” he said. 

A victory against Botswana will see Kenya top Group A with six points pitting them against Group C second place finishers. Group C has Uganda who beat Malawi 2-1 in their opening clash and Mozambique. 

Mayoyo will rely on the services of Jacob Onyango, Issa Rashid, Lucas Maina, Kennedy Mwendwa, as well as Wisdom Nayah who were impressive in their event opener. Onyango netted four goals as Kenya ran over poor Ethiopia to inch closer to the quarter-finals. 

Meanwhile, South Africa are on top of Group D with four points following a resounding 10-0 win against Angola and a barren draw against Tanzania. They were the first to qualify for the quarters in their pool while the second slot is still open to Tanzania and Angola. Angola must win today against Tanzania who they play today while a draw of any kind will be good enough to see the East Africans advance.

In other matches, Uganda will take on Mozambique min Group C whereas Nigeria will face Zimbabwe in hunt if their first win in Group B. 

Kenya vies for a spot in the World Championships.