Aldrine Kibet scored a hattrick as Kenya beat Sudan 4-0 in an Under 20 Africa Cup of Nations Qualifiers, CECAFA region game staged on Tuesday afternoon in Tanzania.
In the clash staged at the Azam Complex, Kibet scored his first of the afternoon after three minutes by finishing well from a corner early in the third minute and made it 2-0 five minutes to the half-time break.
Sudan upped the tempo in the second half and deserved to pull a goal back in two minutes to the hour mark only for keeper Ibrahim Wanzala to deny Shamseldeen Khalfallah Ahmed whose free kick was goal-bound.
Kenya punished their neighbours for the chance wasted when Kelvin Wangaya eased the pressure with a third for the Salim Babu side in the 68th minute with Kibet completing his hattrick in stoppage time.
In the second Group A match played at the KMC Stadium at the same time, Rwanda humbled Djibouti 5-1, their first win in the tournament. The Rwanda team took a 3-0 halftime lead with goals from Jesus Paul Sindi, Didie Ndayishimiye and Pascal Iradukunda. In the second half, Vicky Joseph Petry and Yangiri Yeneza added two more goals for Rwanda, while Djibouti also picked a late goal through Ahmed Hassan.
The semi-final stage games will be played on Friday with Uganda facing hosts Tanzania at the KMC Stadium, while Kenya takes on Burundi in the second match at the Azam Complex. The finalists will automatically qualify for the AFCON U-20 tournament to take place next year.
