It was a celebration in China when Kenya Under 18 girls claimed silver at the 2024 International Sports Federation (ISF) Football World Cup at the Souyuwan Stadium in Dalian, China today.
The Maurice Okello Okumu coached side lost 6-4 to China in the closely contested finals ISF Football after a 1-1 draw and was decided on post-match penalties.
Kenya’s Clotilda Auma scored the sole penalty for Kenya during the match that was later cancelled by the Chinese striker to send the match into penalties where kenya converted through Joy Marvelous, Faith Baraza, Ruth Akinyi, and Auma.
The unbeaten Kenya faced off with Germany, England, and Ghana in pool F where they beat Germany 1-0 in the opening match, followed by a 2-1 win over England and a 2-2 draw against Ghana to top the pool with 7 points to make it to the semifinals.
At the semifinals, they defeated Brazil 3-1 to match to the finals to face China.
Okumu said: “I am very satisfied with the girls performance. They gave this final their best. They initially considered themselves underdogs coming to the match, but every win motivated them to soar higher. Reaching this stage shows they are very optimistic and talented. They deserve their flowers.”
The run was haunted at the quarterfinals after finishing second in pool G that had Uganda, Benin, and Taipei.
Kenya won 2-1 over Benin, humiliated Taipei 4-2 before losing to Uganda 2-0.
They beat Qatar 3-0 before suffering a 1-0 loss in the hands of New Zealand in the position-hunting match.