Kenya women’s national team – Harambee Starlets – suffered their first defeat of the year after going down 2-0 to Ivory Coast in a friendly match staged at Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny in Abidjan on Friday night.Starlets, off a big victory against Tunisia in late February, failed to match that away performance on an evening where the gap between the two sides seemed apparent.F.TIvory Coast 🇨🇮 2-0 🇰🇪 Kenya#HarambeeStarlets pic.twitter.com/yvpfOVseJ3— Harambee Starlets (@StarletsKE) April 4, 2025 Kenya, despite being the biggest climbers in last month’s FIFA rankings, are a whooping 71 places behind Ivory Coast, who wasted no time in asserting control at their backyard.The hosts took the lead after only eight minutes, when Grace N’dri hammered home a poorly-defended corner from Marie Gosse.A bounce of the ball in the Kenyan box left the midfielder with lots of space to arrow her right-footed shot to the bottom corner for what was a wildly-celebrated opener.8′ | GoalIvory Coast 🇨🇮 1-0 🇰🇪 Kenya#HarambeeStarlets— Harambee Starlets (@StarletsKE) April 4, 2025 The visitors, in a bid to claw back into the physical contest, saw skipper Corazone Aquino head straight at the keeper, before striker Jentrix Shikangwa was caught in two minds when with the ball; ultimately electing to shoot from a tight angle rather than teeing up a teammate who was in a better position to score.##NAJAVA_MECA_8831657##Ivory Coast again dictated the game immediately after the break, and won a 49th minute penalty after striker Priscille Kreto was inadvertently caught inside the box.Mariam Diakite took the resulting spot-kick, but was repelled by Annedy Kundu in goal, who was equal to the defender’s attempt down the middle.No sooner had the pressure eased however, than the Ivorians struck the second, again capitalizing on poor zonal marking from a set-piece to put the tie to bed.‘I cried in the dressing room’ – Anthony Akumu after Harambee Stars’ 2025 AFCON disappointmentA quick 52nd minute free-kick from the right was allowed to bounce inside the box, and fell for Mariam Diakite, who looped her kick skywards, dipping between three Kenyan players and into the net.Two moments of indecision had been punished, and Kenya, chasing a two-goal deficit, were found lacking without the ball, hardly testing opposing keeper Aramatou Diakite.Defeat was Kenya’s first since October last year, when Harambee Starlets were thrashed 4-0 by Russia.Why AFC Leopards Secretary General will not be defending his seat in club electionsThe positive news, however, is on top of Faith Mboya and defender Tabitha Amoit getting their debuts, valuable lessons will be picked from this meeting – and even the upcoming one against the same opponents on Tuesday 8 April – as Beldine Odemba’s charges seek a valuable Women’s Africa Cup of Nations spot in October.Junior Starlets Elsewhere at the Mohammed VI Complex, Kenya women’s U17 side – Junior Starlets – were held to a 1-1 draw by hosts Morocco in a friendly match.Mildred Cheche’s side, which is seeking to book a place in the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup for the second consecutive time later this month, got its only goal through defender Elizabeth Ochaka in the 60th minute.FTEnds in a drawMorocco 1-1 Kenya#JuniorStarlets pic.twitter.com/Au3CXNAetY— Harambee Starlets (@StarletsKE) April 4, 2025 The two sides meet again on Monday 7 April at the same venue.
