• FOOTBALL

• Frank Rotich 5 days ago

Losing start for Junior Starlets at World Cup as they fall to China

Kenya’s Junior Starlets have been handed a difficult start to the 2026 FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup campaign after suffering a 3-0 defeat to China in the opening Group match in Morocco on Monday.

The result leaves head coach Mildred Cheche with plenty to address ahead of Thursday’s encounter against the United States, with the Kenyan youngsters needing a much-improved attacking display to keep their hopes of progressing in the tournament alive.

China took control early, breaking the deadlock in the 12th minute when Yue Xu finished off a pass from Yichen Wu to give the Asian side the advantage.

Goalkeeper Mishel Okoyo was then called into action several times, producing important saves to prevent China from extending their lead before the break.

Despite their defensive resilience, the Junior Starlets struggled to create meaningful chances, failing to register a shot on target in the opening half.

Cheche introduced forward Peninah Fostine at the start of the second half in an attempt to inject more threat into the attack. However, China quickly punished Kenya again.

Five minutes after the restart, Yichen Wu unleashed a powerful effort that struck the crossbar before Xiaotang Xu reacted quickest to the rebound and fired home China’s second goal.

The contest became even more difficult for Kenya just three minutes later when Zhenzhu Fang delivered a cross into the penalty area. Xiaotang Xu rose above the defence to head home her second goal of the match, completing China’s three-goal advantage.

Kenya continued to struggle in the final third, with their first effort on target arriving in the 78th minute when Elizabeth Achieng tried her luck from distance. The Chinese goalkeeper comfortably dealt with the attempt.

Okoyo made another save late in the game to deny China a fourth goal, but the damage had already been done.

The defeat puts the Junior Starlets under pressure as they prepare for a demanding clash against the United States on Thursday, before concluding their group-stage fixtures against Samoa on Sunday.

With two matches remaining, Kenya must improve both their defensive organisation and attacking efficiency if they are to recover from the opening setback and keep their hopes of advancing to the knockout stage alive.