South Africa remain hopeful after first-leg defeat to Kenya in FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup qualifiers

South Africa’s hopes of reaching the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup remain alive despite a 2-0 home defeat to Kenya in the first leg of the final qualifying round, with head coach Ntombifuthi Khumalo insisting her side will return stronger in the decisive second leg.

Bantwana were beaten at Lucas Moripe Stadium in Atteridgeville on Saturday after Kenya capitalised on opportunities in each half to take a valuable advantage into the return fixture, which is scheduled to be played in Kenya on Sunday, 12 July.

Faith Boke gave the visitors an early breakthrough in the 13th minute before Brenda Achieng doubled Kenya’s lead just after the hour mark, leaving South Africa with a significant challenge ahead of the deciding encounter.

Although the result leaves Bantwana needing to overturn a two-goal deficit away from home, Khumalo remained optimistic after the final whistle, believing her team showed encouraging signs despite the disappointing outcome.

“We didn’t play well in the first half as per the plan, but we managed to talk to the girls because they were nervous, and then second half we tried to control the game.

The result is not good for us, but I was happy with the chances that we created, now we need to work more on how to convert. I saw a lot of improvement in this game, and we will go back and correct some mistakes and go to the second leg with confidence,” Khumalo.

South Africa had opportunities to reduce the deficit and potentially change the direction of the match.

Captain Katlego Malebana was presented with a golden chance from the penalty spot, but Kenya goalkeeper Michel Okoyo Ng’ono produced an important save to deny the hosts and preserve her side’s two-goal advantage.

That moment proved crucial, as South Africa were unable to find a breakthrough despite creating several attacking opportunities throughout the contest.

Khumalo acknowledged the pressure that comes with playing such an important qualifier on home soil but believes her players have the mentality to respond in the second leg.

“I always say the difficult game is playing at home, especially when you play such games because you have a lot of pressure not to concede, but I am positive with my team that we will come back in the second leg.“

The South African coach introduced several changes after the interval in an attempt to shift the momentum, but Kenya maintained their defensive discipline to secure an important victory ahead of the return match.

Bantwana will now travel to East Africa on Thursday as they begin preparations for the decisive fixture.

The winners over the two legs will secure a place at the 10th edition of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, which will be hosted in Morocco from 17 October to 7 November this year.

With qualification still within reach, South Africa will be aiming to produce a strong response away from home as they seek to overturn the first-leg deficit and book their place at the global tournament.