South Sudan’s Bright Starlets were no match for the quality of Harambee Starlets as they went down 8-0 on the first leg match of round one Africa Women’s Cup of Nations (AWCON) played at the Nyayo National Stadium.The Shilene Booysen-coached side started soaking in goals as early as the first minute of the match and it was evident they would have a long 90 minutes on the pitch against a much better Harambee.Coach Charles Okere had given a starting berth to the returning Neddy Atieno, having been out of the national team for two years. Enez Mango and Lorna Nyabuto were also handing their debuts and a chance in the starting line-up.##NAJAVA_MECA_5909158##”I am impressed with the performance so toady and this is a good start as we loom forward to making a return to the AWCON. Player fitness is still a work in progress and it is an advantage to us that the league is resuming as that will be of help ahead of the second round qualifiers. We still have a match against this side on Saturday and we will handle them the same way we did today. We might make a few changes and have the players who did not get a chance to play today in action but the game plan and approach remain the same,” said Okere.Atieno announced her return to the national team with a bang, putting Harambee ahead in the first minute with a tap in off of a Gentrix Shikangwa assist from the right flank. Mathare’s Lucy Akoth had picked out Shikangwa from her marker with a long pass, the latter fighting her way past South Sudan’s Bandas Amosu to get to the box and feed Atieno for the opener. South Sudan went on the hunt with Numugeye Duku coming close to an equaliser in the second minute following an unsuccessful attempt to clear her shot by Phoebe Oketch but Harambee’s shot stopper Annette Kundu was at hand to deal with the loose ball. A minute later, Nyabuto was in prime position for goal and her shot from the right was intercepted by the Bright Starlets’ keeper Tutu Mohammed who did a poor job in clearing the ball and paid for it. Atieno was again at hand for a backflip to hand the hosts their second goal and send the Kenyan bench into a frenzy. The match quickly became a one-sided encounter, with action restricted to South Sudan’s half. Debutant, Mango, assumed the role of the last man and was would often be the only player on Harambee half, dealing with any fast breaks and long ball from the desperate South Sudanese. Okere’s charges had numerous chances to add to their tally but their finishing proved wanting. Atieno, however, had another moment of glory feeding off a Sheril Angachi delivery from several yards off the box to head in for a hattick and give Harambee a three-goal advantage in the 33rd minute. In the 39th minute, Shikangwa pounced on a loose ball in the box in a goal-mouth melee to grab her first and the team’s fourth for the huge advantage heading to the break. On resumption it was Bright Starlets who got the chance to score first, as second half substitute Chieng Riek, in the 50th minute, drove into Starlets box and with the goalkeeper to beat, took too long to release the ball allowing Oketch to catch up and clear the ball.Three minutes later, Mwanahalima Adam had her chance to give Kenya their fifth and with the defence beaten and the keeper on the opposite side of the post, she sent her efforts inches wide, much her own disappointment. The fixth goal was not far off and it was Atieno who delivered again for Harambee, scoring two in quick succession in the 56th and 61st minutes against a seemingly inept Bright Stars defence line that looked to have resigned to fate. In the 65th minute, Adam, determined to atome for her sins, picked the ball from the centre and did all the work for herself, beating three South Sudanese players to get to the box and slot her shot on the left top side of goal for Harambee’s seventh.Okere, made two changes, bringing in Terry Engesha and Mercyline Wayodi for skipper Corazone Aquino and Akoth, injecting some pace into the midlfield. Engesha had a chance at goal in the 71st minute but her efforts went wide. Shikangwa grabbed her brace and the team’s fifth in the 72nd minute to hand Harambee the massive win ahead of the return leg on Sunday.
