Kenya’s U-17 women’s football team made history by clinching their first-ever victory at the FIFA U-17 World Cup, defeating Mexico 2-1 in their final Group C match in Santa Domingo early Thursday morning.
Valerie Nekesa and Lornah Faith scored the crucial goals that ensured the Junior Starlets left an unforgettable mark on their World Cup debut in the Dominican Republic. This win followed back-to-back losses to England and two-time champions Korea DPR.
Despite being out of contention for the knockout stages, coach Mildred Cheche’s team was determined to bow out on a high note. The girls started the match strongly, with Marion Serenge nearly giving Kenya the lead in the early minutes when she broke through on goal, only to see her effort saved by the Mexican goalkeeper.
Kenya’s early pressure paid off in the 15th minute when Nekesa opened the scoring from a well-executed counter-attack. Goalkeeper Velma Abwire launched a long pass to Joan Ogola on the left, who delivered a perfect cross that Nekesa tapped into an empty net, putting the Junior Starlets 1-0 up.
Kenya doubled their lead in the 35th minute. Nekesa, who had been instrumental throughout the match, set up Faith with a clever flick, and Faith finished with a powerful left-footed shot, making it 2-0.
Mexico managed to pull one back in stoppage time after Reyes Citlalli was brought down inside the box, prompting a VAR review. The referee awarded a penalty, which was confidently converted by Soto Alexa, but it wasn’t enough to spoil Kenya’s celebration.
The Junior Starlets, despite the late goal, held on for their historic win and will return home with heads held high after making their debut at the World Cup, having written themselves into the history books with this remarkable achievement.
