A spirited effort from Kenya came unstuck after a goal in either half by England ensured Rising Stars’ FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup debut ended in a 2-0 defeat at the Estadio Cibao FC in the Dominican Republic.Kenya posted a promising start to the game and took only two minutes to muster their first effort on target when Valarie Nekesa’s ambitious effort provided easy pickings for the keeper.England however settled into the game well, dictating the tempo of the match and came close in the 18th minute when Isabella Fisher guided her effort over the bar from a deep cross that caught the Kenyan defense napping.##NAJAVA_MECA_8415844##Fisher was handed a chance to atone for her close-range miss two minutes later but her glancing header was safely gathered by Velma Abwire in goal.The Arsenal forward was proving to be a menace as she unleashed a thunderbolt from the edge of the penalty area in the 27th minute but Abwire was equal to the task of keeping Kenya’s sheet clean.Kenya U17 players, coach send message to Kenyans ahead of FIFA World Cup debutThat quickly changed a minute later when England were awarded a penalty following a hand ball by Diana Anyango which prompted the referee to point to the spot.Lola Brown stepped up to take the resulting penalty and held her nerve to convert the spot kick despite Abwire going the right way.¡EL GOL DE LA VENTAJA! 🔥⚽ Así marcó Brown el penal que le da la victoria parcial 1-0 a Inglaterra sobre Kenia por el #U17WWCEnDSPORTS.¡Se juega por #DIRECTV y #DGO! 📺📲#U17WWC pic.twitter.com/NoUGttjLmF— DSPORTS (@DSports) October 18, 2024 Kenya had their hearts on their mouths three minutes after the half-hour mark when Rebecca Odato inadvertently trended over the ball to stamp on Omotara Junaid’s foot.England used one of their two chances to appeal to the Video Support Referee about a potential red card from the Odato challenge but after review, the referee stuck with her original decision of just a yellow card.##NAJAVA_MECA_8415837##This meant that England were only left with one more chance after losing their appeal but they could have maintained their two chances should their appeal have been successful.Omotara was again in the thick of things in the 38th minute when she received a defense-splitting pass from Vera Jones but Abwire was quickly off her line to smother the danger.Why Bonface Ambani believes Kenya U-17 will win the FIFA World Cup on debutEngland were almost gifted a goal in the 40th minute when Laila Harbert’s long-range effort almost went through the legs of Abwire in goal but she recovered just in time to prevent the howler as Kenya went into the break trailing 1-0.Mildred Cheche’s charges resumed the second half with some marked improvement but their final third decision-making meant that Hope McSheffrey was underemployed in goal.The closing half saw chances few and far between the two sides but Kenya were inches from restoring parity when Nekesa went on a lung-bursting run and turned her marker inside out before finding the side netting.##NAJAVA_MECA_8415851##Kenya however used one of their appeals to ask the referee to review an incident just before Nekesa pulled the trigger that saw the England defender slightly pull back Nekesa back but the referee saw no penalty.The game was put to bed in the 87th-minute substitute Laura Thompson picked a loose ball from the halfway line and drove towards the Kenya goal to rifle the ball into the net off the right-hand post.¡GOL DE INGLATERRA! 🔥⚽ Lauryn Thompson remató desde fuera del área y amplió la diferencia.#UC17WWCEnDSPORTS | #U17WWC pic.twitter.com/uPKgpEgbJd— DSPORTS (@DSports) October 18, 2024 Despite slowing flashes of brilliance, Kenya picked up defeat on their FIFA World Cup debut, leaving them third in Group C following North Korea’s opening 4-1 win over Mexico.KENYA STARTING XI1. VELMA ABWIRE, 12. ELIZABETH OCHAKA (C), 19. LORINE ILOVANGA, 11. DIANA ANYANGO,15. CHRISTINE ADHIAMBO, 17. HALIMA IMBACHI, 20. REBECCA ODATO, 14. LORNA FAITH (84′ JOAN OGOLA), 8. LINDEY WEEY ATIENO (56′ SUSAN AKOTH), 10. MARION SERENGE, 13. VALARIE NEKESA.SUBSEPHY AWUOR, KIMBERLY AKINYI, JENEVIVE MITHEL, QUINTER ADHIAMBO, VELMA AWUOR, PEARL OLESI
