Kenya’s Junior Stars are out of the CAF Under-17 Africa Cup of Nations CECAFA qualifiers after Somalia secured a 2-0 victory at Kigali Pele Stadium on Wednesday.
The result ended Kenya’s hopes after they suffered an identical defeat to Tanzania in their opening match last Saturday and needed a win to remain in contention.
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Somalia capitalised on Kenya’s defensive errors to take control before the interval. Captain Mahmud Osman, one of the standout players on the pitch, made no mistake when a lapse at the back presented him with the opportunity to open the scoring.
Kenya captain Ian Nzisa came closest to restoring parity before halftime, but the goalkeeper pushed his effort away as the Junior Stars went into the break still trailing.
Kenya attempted to raise the tempo after the restart, yet their pressure produced little of note. Somalia put the result beyond doubt in the 84th minute when Abdullahi Hashi struck a free-kick over the wall and into the top corner beyond the keeper’s right.
Somalia maintained a stronger structure both in possession and out of it, while their pace made them a persistent danger whenever they broke forward.
Kenya again found it difficult to convert possession into clear-cut opportunities, an attacking weakness that has followed the team through the tournament.
Somalia, who drew 1-1 with Tanzania earlier in the competition, head into the knockout stage with growing confidence. With only the group winners and the best runner-up progressing to the semifinals, Kenya’s campaign ends without a victory from either of their two matches.
The defeat is another disappointment for head coach William Muluya, who came close to missing out on qualification last year after Kenya placed fourth in the CECAFA qualifiers in Addis Ababa.
