Goalkeeper Owuor saves penalty as Harambee Starlets through to final round of WAFCON qualifiers
Harambee Starlets are through to the final round of the 2026 Women Africa Cup of Nations after beating Tunisia 1-0 in Sousse on Wednesday.
The Kenya national women football team started off the first leg on a blunt note on February 21 at the Ulinzi Sports Complex after playing out a barren draw and many didn’t give coach Beldine Odemba and her chances any chance in Tunisia.
The Starlets however showed a different side to their game on Wednesday, February 26 as they denied the hosts any chances on goal after having taken the lead in ninth minute which meant that hosts had to chance the game throughout the match.
Tereza Engesha scored the all-important goal for Harambee Starlets and Tunisia could not respond despite trying all they could.
The hosts even missed a penalty in the 43rd minute with goalkeeper Lilian Owuor the heroine for Kenya after making a double save.
Starlets will now face the winner of the match between Gambia and Niger in the final round of the qualifiers.
Coach Odemba will feel she has been vindicated after she was criticised after the first leg where the Starlets failed to score at home.
The coach had however promised that the return leg will be a completely different game and that is exactly what happened on Wednesday in Tunisia.
“Believe me it will be a different game in Tunisia. When you play at home and when you play away it is a completely different game.
“I am not happy that we did not convert our chances despite the fact that we had an attacking line up. You saw that we played with two number nines and we should have converted the chances we created,” Odemba told journalists in the post-match interview on February 21.