Kenya’s Junior Stars suffered a 2-0 defeat to Tanzania in the CAF U17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) CECAFA regional qualifiers at Kigali Pele Stadium in Rwanda on Saturday.
Goals from Didmas Shida Athanas and Geoffrey Nkuba secured victory for the defending regional champions, who moved to the top of Group C and extended their unbeaten run against Kenya at youth level to four matches.
Also Read: Shabana leaves it late against ten man Posta Rangers
Kenya started brightly, with midfielder Yusif Mohammed missing an early opportunity after being set up by Morgan Omondi. Tanzania gradually took control, creating chances through Moses Maduka and Shida before the latter broke the deadlock with a composed finish after beating his markers.
The Serengeti Boys nearly doubled their advantage before the break, but Sadam Husein struck the upright while Farajila Moshi failed to connect with Shida’s cross.
Tanzania maintained their momentum after the restart, with Nkuba capitalising on a poor clearance inside the penalty area in the 57th minute to double their lead.
Kenya pushed forward in search of a response, but Carillus Omware failed to convert a promising chance from Mohammed’s delivery. Defender Moses Ocholla also came close late on, heading Alvin Midimo’s cross narrowly wide.
Tanzania comfortably managed the closing stages to claim all three points and strengthen their position in the group.
The defeat leaves Kenya needing a convincing victory over Somalia in their final group fixture to stand a chance of progressing to the semi-finals as one of the best-placed runners-up. Their qualification hopes will depend on both the margin of victory and results elsewhere in the competition.
Also Read: FKFPL: APS Bomet holds Mathare United in league opener
 CECAFA regional qualifiers at Kigali Pele Stadium in Rwanda on Saturday.){kind=link}