Busia County girls’ team crushed Nairobi 7-0 at Nyayo Stadium on Friday to storm the semifinals of the inaugural Talanta Hela Under-19 national football tournament.
Exhibiting unmatched technical finesse throughout the encounter, Faith Lorna proved the toast of the day, netting a hat-trick in the 33rd, 76th, and 78th minutes.
Second-half substitute Yvonne Adhiambo was equally on a roll, securing a brace in the 87th and 90+2 minutes to help send their opponents packing.
Diana Anyango and Joyangela Valencia both scored a goal apiece in the 43rd and 73rd minutes to pile more misery on the hapless Nairobi team in the one-sided affair.
Busia head coach Edward Sakwa dismissed the notion that they had been paired with a weaker opponent, instead crediting top-notch preparations for their masterclass performance.
“I’m not surprised by the outcome in any way. We took to the pitch confidently knowing we had prepared well for the encounter,” Sakwa said.
“I don’t think we were paired with a weaker opponent. Nairobi just lost their plot in the match, giving our girls a field day,” he added.
Sakwa said their game plan in the semifinals will depend on the quality of their opponents.
“We are waiting for the outcome of other quarterfinal matches to know who our opponents will be in the semifinals. We expect to meet either Homabay or Machakos,” Sakwa remarked. Nairobi’s head coach attributed their big fall to inadequate preparations.
“A team needs at least three months to prepare adequately for this kind of tournament. We had only three weeks to assemble and polish our team,” he said. Elsewhere at the Utalii grounds, Kisumu beat Kakamega 3-1 in an enthralling quarterfinal clash to book a semifinal berth.
