Kenya's under-17 Junior Starlets in a past match/ HANDOUT
Mildred Cheche’s side heads into the decisive tie carrying a healthy 2-0 first-leg advantage from Pretoria, leaving them within touching distance of another date with history.
A win, draw or even a narrow one-goal defeat in Nairobi will be enough to send Kenya back to the global stage after their debut appearance at the 2024 finals in the Dominican Republic.
The World Cup is set for October 17 to November 7 in Morocco, and the Junior Starlets know they are now just 90 minutes away from extending their remarkable rise as the only Kenyan national football team to have featured at a World Cup.
Football Kenya Federation (FKF) acting CEO Dennis Gicheru has urged fans to turn up in large numbers to cheer the team as Starlets bid to complete the assignment on home soil.
“Now we are coming back for the final phase. I think it’s important for us to prepare well. We are rallying all the fans to come on Sunday and support the team. It’s the final phase before we go for the U-17 World Cup in Morocco later in the year,” said Gicheru.
Gicheru added that the team’s participation at the CECAFA U-17 Women’s Championship in Tanzania had been part of deliberate preparations for the South Africa test, offering the squad valuable competitive minutes and tactical sharpening ahead of the final qualifying hurdle.
“We recently participated in the CECAFA tournament. We are using that tournament as a precursor for this phase of the qualifiers. So I think we’ve given them proper support,” he added. The Starlets put themselves in a commanding position in the first leg with a disciplined and clinical display in Pretoria.
After soaking up pressure early on, Kenya struck in the second half through Faith Boke, who latched onto Linda Weey’s through ball before calmly slotting home.
Goalkeeper Mitchell Okoyo then produced one of the defining moments of the contest when she saved a South African penalty to preserve Kenya’s lead before Brenda Achieng capitalised on Weey’s effort to double the advantage. Cheche praised her players for handling the pressure of an away fixture and sticking to the game plan.
“An away win is the first step towards going to the World Cup. The girls did extremely well. They prepared well and delivered despite the pressure of playing away,” said Cheche.
“What worked for us is that we were able to play our game. The girls were composed and utilised the chances that came their way.”
That composure will be required again on Sunday as Kenya seek to avoid any late drama and complete the mission in front of their home fans.
"For the Junior Starlets, the equation is to protect the first-leg cushion at Nyayo and punch their ticket back to Morocco," the coach concluded.
