The National U17 team has on Friday, August 24, 2018, jetted back into the country from Tanzania where the team took part in the Africa U17 Cup of Nations CECAFA Region Qualifying Tournament.
Kenya had been pooled in Group B alongside Ethiopia, Uganda, South Sudan and Djibouti. The Junior Stars started off on a high with two wins in two matches against South Sudan and Djibouti. They would, however, fall short against Uganda and Ethiopia, consequently missing out on a chance to grace the Africa U17 Cup of Nations, set to be held in Tanzania in May 2019.
“We are disappointed that we did not get the results we expected despite giving a good account of ourselves,” said coach Michael Amenga.
“Moving forward, we will do a review of the tournament with an aim of building upon the experience ahead of our upcoming international assignments,” he added.
Tanzania will face off with Uganda with Ethiopia slated to take on Rwanda in the semifinals scheduled for Friday, August 24, 2018. The winner of the tournament will get a chance to grace the Africa U17 Cup of Nations in May 2019 in Tanzania.
In the last game, suffered a 4-2 loss to Ethiopia in the final Group B match of the CECAFA Region Qualifying Tournament.
The match was played on Wednesday, August 22, 2018, at the National Stadium in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Kenya was the first on the scoresheet when Alphonse Omija tucked in a header off a corner by Mathew Mwendwa. Ethiopia Captain Beyene Banja would, however, score two goals in quick succession, both from long range, to turn the game in their favor.
Keith Imbali restored parity just before the break to spur hopes for a comeback but as the Junior Stars pushed forward for the winner, Banja would notch his hat trick off a swift counter-attack late in the match. A late goal for Ethiopia, in a similar fashion, would further seal Kenya’s fate.
The loss sees Kenya end the first round third in Group B with six points from four matches, behind Ethiopia and Uganda, who are set to grace the semifinals slated for Friday, August 24, 2018.