Despite hammering champions Uganda 4-0 at the ongoing CECAFA Women’s Tournament in Dar es Salaam on Tuesday, Harambee Starlets assistant coach Godfrey 'Solo' Oduor says they don’t have enough depth.
Diana Wacera, Dorcas Shikobe, and Violet Nanjala scored in the first half, before Martha Amunyolet rounded up the beating with a fourth goal late in the second half at the Azam Sports Complex, as Kenya ran riot against the defending champions.
Speaking during the post-match press conference, Solo, who replaced Jackline Juma last week as Beldine Odemba’s assistant, confirmed they have only 19 players, who rest for just a day before playing another match, and they ensure everyone gets playtime.
“We have only 19 players, meaning we don’t have enough depth. Some players who did a shift against Burundi on Sunday played 90 minutes yesterday, meaning we still have to rotate the squad against South Sudan on Thursday,” said Solo.
Experienced midfielder Corazone Aquino and winger Elizabeth Wambui, who were part of the team that fell 5-1 to Morocco in a friendly on June 4, missed the Dar es Salaam trip after failing to show up before departure. They were not replaced, leading to the lean squad.
Solo, however, praised the girls for their performance after grabbing their second straight win at the tournament following a 3-0 win over Burundi on Sunday, June 15.
“The Ugandans played well, but we overcame them through teamwork. I would also like to congratulate our goalkeeper, Lilian Awuor, for ensuring we kept a second clean sheet. She made a great save at nil-nil and was instrumental in the victory,” added the former Kibera Black Stars tactician.
Meanwhile, Ugandan coach Sherly Botes admitted that Kenya were more experienced, which is why they were outnumbered in midfield and were also better physically and technically. She promised they will do better against hosts Tanzania on Thursday, June 19.
“Against South Sudan, we played 4-4-2, but we changed to 3-5-1 to counter Kenya. But they were way better in transition and link play. Kenya may have brought some youngsters, but their experienced stars used their pace to overpower our defence,” said the South African gaffer.
Kenya is tied at six points with hosts Tanzania on top of
the table, but with an inferior goal difference. Odemba's girls will face South
Sudan tomorrow before battling Tanzania in a potential title decider on
Saturday, 21 June, in the round-robin format.
