NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 20 – Neddy Atieno found the back of the net five times as Kenya’s Harambee Starlets thrashed South Sudan 8-0 in the first leg of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations first round qualifiers at the Nyayo National Stadium on Wednesday.
The Ulinzi Starlets skipper was making a return to the national team for the first time since 2018 and she showed exactly why she was recalled with a five-star performance as Starlets put one foot into the second round.
The star forward qneeded just 61 seconds to give Kenya the lead when she ran into the box to meet a Jentrix Shikangwa cross from the right, tapping home for the opener.
She made it 2-0 in the third minute with an overhead kick, battling a forest of defenders to connect to Janet Budni’s cross, Starlets again destroying South Sudan from the right flank.
The visitors tried to give a push and despite some few forays into the Kenyan backline, they didn’t quite gather enough to threaten Annedy Kundu in Kenya’s goal.
The Kenyan girls dominated the game further and stretched their lead to 3-0 in the 34th minute, Atieno completing a hattrick with a simple header inside the box off a Sheryl Angachi cross.
Five minutes later, the game was firmly in Kenya’s grasp when Shikangwa scored the fourth with another neat finish inside the box after the South Sudanese backline struggled to clear a cross from the left.
Heading into the break with a four-goal cushion, it was always going to be one way into the second half, and the Kenyan girls replicated the same first half performance with another four-goal haul.
Shikangwa and Atieno combined for Kenya’s fifth, the Vihiga Queens star slapping a beautiful pass to her new strike partner who neatly finished past the keeper. She added her fifth goal of the afternoon after 61 minutes.
Harambee Starlets forward Jentrix Shikangwa in action against South Sudan. PHOTO/Raymond Makhaya
Midfielder Corazone Aquino dumped an inviting looped ball behind the defense to pick out Atieno’s path, the striker controlling with her first touch and slapping the ball home with her second, Stars going 6-0 up.
The scoring personnel was to change as Kenya made it 7-0 four minutes later, this time skipper Adam sliding into the box with a fine individual run before slapping the ball into the roof of the net.
Shikangwa then drove the final nail into South Sudan’s coffin with the eighth goal and her second of the day finishing off a pass from Atieno.
Starlets will take it easy in the return tie set for Saturday at Nyayo.
They will most likely meet neighbors Uganda in the second round after the Crested Cranes saw off Ethiopia 2-0 in the other qualifier in Kampala.
