Kenya beat Ethiopia 11-1 in the opening game of the Copa Coca-Cola Africa Under-16 tournament yesterday at the Nakuru High School.
Jacob Onyango was on target four times with Rashid Issa netting a hat-trick. Daniel Onyango and Haron Kibiwott scored a goal apiece to complete the rout.
The hosts scored barely three minutes into the match Odhiambo who fired home from the edge of the box after a cross from Onyango. Three minutes later, Odhiambo missed a chance to double the lead even though ultimately it didn’t matter. This contest gradually turned into a one-sided affair mid-way through the opening half with the visitors barely threatening Kenya’s rear-guard marshaled by the composed Christopher Raila.
Rashid then took full advantage of miscommunication between Tesgey Mikiyas and Tekiu Edmend to fire the ball past Abel Nyang for Kenya’s goal number two.
Ethiopia would have pulled one back in the 19th minutes but Obtel Omod’s drive from point blank range was easily gathered by Kenya custodian Issa Samuria.
Rashid grabbed his second and Kenya’s third of the match in the 23rd minute after beating an offside trap set up by the Ethiopians. He then fired into an empty net to hand his team a healthy advantage at the break. Onyango was next in the line with the fourth goal after the restart following an error from Nyang. Kengidi made it 5-0 with his second of the day. Ethiopia came close in the 50th minutes through Tsegaye Dawitt’s long range shot, but Onyango and Haron Kibiwott were at task to pile further misery to the visitors. Twelve youth national teams, including South Africa and Nigeria, are participating in the six-day tournament whose climax will be the final at the Afraha Stadium on Saturday..