Harambee Starlet’s one-all draw against Botswana at Nyayo Stadium on Wednesday 29 November leaves the Beldine Odemba-coached side with an uphill task when they play the return match on 5 December in Gaborone.
The two sides locked horns in the opening leg of the second and final round of qualification for next year’s Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) set to be hosted in Morocco.
Kenya, with an opportunity to bury the game in stoppage time, saw Violet Nanjala stopped by Tlamelo Pheresi for a heartbreaking 1-1 draw that gives Botswana the advantage as the tie heads to the second leg. Before the miss, Kenya had been wasteful, allowing some great opportunities to go begging.
“We had a game plan but the players missed some instructions. Sometimes, these plans are dictated by the game, watching how the opponent is playing and plotting against it; looking at their strengths and planning on how to cut them off and taking advantage of their weaknesses. We had some lapses but we have identified areas that will need working on before the next meet,” Odemba offered.
The tactician downplayed the team’s inability to make full use of the home advantage, maintaining that the team’s chances of qualification are high.
“As we head away, I know they will play an open game as they are home and that will give us a chance to attack making it a 50-50 chance. We have 90 more minutes to chase the ticket and I still believe we have what it takes to win,” she added.
Odemba believes that the team will have better chemistry going into the second leg as the foreign-based legion now has time to train alongside the rest and create a solid squad in all departments.
“Sometimes when we have a team as rich as we do with a bulk of the playing unit plying their trade out of the country, chemistry could be tough to achieve. Most of them did not have enough time to train with us, four just got the chance to feel the pitch and did not train, but that will not be the case heading for the return match. We are not lacking anything, we have the speed, character, scorers and confident players who can get the job done,” she concluded.
