Kenya U17 women’s head coach Mildred Cheche has explained why she subbed off star forward Brenda Achieng just 27 minutes into their clash against Cameroon.Follow our WhatsApp channel for more newsThe Junior Starlets played host to Cameroon in the third and final round of the 2025 FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup qualifier on Sunday, 20 April 2025.Kenyans express confidence in Kenya U17 overturning loss to CameroonThe Sunday afternoon match ended 1-0 in favour of Cameroon, courtesy of a 25th-minute header by Cameroon captain Tiwa Melong, who nodded home from a corner.Cheche reacted to the goal by withdrawing Achieng, who has been instrumental in Kenya’s qualification journey, for Lindey Weey Atieno in the 27th minute, much to the annoyance of Junior Starlets supporters.##NAJAVA_MECA_8868137##In her post-match press conference, Cheche was equally pressed by scribes, upon which she explained that it was a tactical decision.“For Brenda, she had a good chance, but again, she did not have good actions or rather, many actions on the ball because of her height, so most of the balls that were being kicked, she couldn’t get them,” said Cheche.Bandari coach given one more game to save jobPrior to her substitution, Kenya’s only clear-cut chance landed on Achieng, who hit the crossbar after outpacing her markers, with Jessica Mabou in the Cameroon goal also beaten.According to Cheche, the decision to bring in a midfielder for a striker was actually an attacking substitution meant to maintain possession and bring other attackers to play.##NAJAVA_MECA_8868111##“So we needed to get another midfielder – Lindey, so that she can play with the wingers and also be the extra player to utilise the spaces in between the lines,” she explained.In the end, Kenya created more chances, especially in the second half, but lacked a clinical or composed player who could find the back of the net, thereby opening the debate on whether the substitution was warranted.Kenya U17 captain on what must be done to overturn loss to CameroonKenya will have an opportunity to turn the results around when the two sides meet for the second leg in Yaounde, Cameroon, on Friday, 25 April 2025, with the winner booking a place in the World Cup set for Friday, 17 October to Saturday, 8 November in Morocco.
