Harambee Starlets head coach David Ouma was pleased with the side’s dominance over Cameroon despite playing in a packed stadium. PHOTO/Timothy Olobulu
NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov 7- Harambee Starlets head coach David Ouma is not worried despite his side losing 2-1 to Cameroon in their return friendly game played on Sunday in Yaounde ahead of the African Women’s Cup of Nations which kicks off on November 19.
Cameroon picked the win through goalkeeper Samantha Akinyi’s own goal coming after Christine Nafula had pulled Starlets level early in the second half cancelling out Michelle Akaba’s first half penalty.
Ouma, speaking to Capital Sport from Yaounde however said the team gave in a superb performance and blamed a blunt attack force for the loss.
“It was just a replica of the first leg because we dominated Cameroon infront of a packed stadium. They scored their first from another very weak penalty and had the winner with an own goal. We showed our character and had up to four clear cut chances in the first half which we could not convert,” Ouma said.
The Harambee Starlets technical bench handling the team in Limbe, Cameroon. PHOTO/Timothy Olobulu
The team traveled to Limbe on Monday afternoon where they will hold a two-week camp with Ouma set to address several weak areas the side has before they begin their Nations Cup campaign on November 20 against Ghana.
“Scoring is an area we need to address and in the next two weeks, we shall work hard on that. All other aspects of the game are much improved. We hold possession well, pass well but when it comes to the final killer instinct, we fall short,” Ouma admitted.
Another key area Ouma is keen to address is the physicality noting they will be facing up with West African opponents.
The tactician agreed they can’t match up with the physique of the West Africans but remained confident they can find another way to get round them.
“We know that our girls are small and therefore it will not be easy going head to head physically with our opponents. But we have our strategy laid out. We have to ensure we play the ball faster off our feet and also avoid conceding set pieces because that’s where we will be hit from,” the coach added.
Starlets will have two weeks to acclimatize to the coastal kind of weather in Limbe and Ouma is confident the two weeks will be of essence to help the girls brace up for their debut in continental football.
