Dar es Salaam, June 15 (Darfur24)
Sudan’s national U-17 girls’ team suffered a heavy 16-0 defeat to Kenya in its opening match of the CECAFA U-17 Women’s Championship, while South Sudan began its campaign with a 1-0 victory over Zanzibar in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
The Sudanese side struggled against a dominant Kenyan team in a Group A match played at the Azam Complex on Saturday. The game ended before full time after Sudan was unable to continue due to a shortage of available players, according to Kenya coach Mildred Cheche.
“It was a very nice match. The girls performed well, especially in the first half. In the second half there were medical issues affecting Sudan, which we understand. The welfare of the players comes first,” Cheche said after the match.
Kenya’s Brenda Achieng scored seven goals, while Mwanakombo Bakari added two. Fleviah Khatenje, Lindey Wee Atieno, Elizabeth Alizeba, Tabitha Wambui and Berverline Awuor also got on the scoresheet.
Meanwhile, South Sudan secured all three points in its opening Group B fixture with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Zanzibar.
After a closely contested match, Amou Seber scored the decisive goal in the 78th minute to hand South Sudan victory.
“I am happy to score the goal that gave us this win against a tough team,” Seber told CECAFA’s official website after the match.
In the other Group B encounter, Uganda recorded the biggest victory of the opening round, defeating Djibouti 13-0.
The championship features four teams in Group A—hosts Tanzania, Kenya, Somalia and Sudan—while Group B consists of Uganda, South Sudan, Zanzibar and Djibouti.
Sudan will face Tanzania on Monday in an attempt to recover from its opening defeat, while Kenya takes on Somalia in the other Group A fixture.