Odemba hopes Starlets complete 'mission impossible' in Nairobi

Harambee Starlets coach Beldine Odemba will look to overturn Friday's narrow 1-0 loss to Indomitable Lionesses of Cameroon when the two teams meet in the second leg of their 2024 Women Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) qualifier in Nairobi on Tuesday.

The second round tie will be staged at Nyayo Stadium Nairobi from 3pm. Starlets return home on Sunday at 10pm, while Cameroon while arrive in the country in two batches. The first Cameroonian contingent will touch down on Sunday at 10pm on the same flight with Starlets while the other batch will arrive on Monday noon.

Odemba's Starlets, the second-best team on the pitch in the game all night in Douala on Friday, need a two-goal win to progress or triumph 1-0 and pray they overcome the Central Africans on penalties in Nairobi.

Striker Éliane Mambalamo's header from captain Gabrielle Aboudi Onguene's delivery from a corner delivery on nine minutes was enough to sink Starlets at the Stade De Réunification de Douala.

Odemba remains optimistic about Starlets' chances of qualifying for Wafcon.

"It feels good being part of the tournament and playing against a good side, this is good exposure. All is not lost, we have a chance to qualify. We are ready for the return leg," said Odemba.

Reflecting on the match, Odemba highlighted the need for her charges to focus on some areas of concern ahead of the make-or-break return leg.

"We now know what to work on. We have learned that Cameroon are good at cross balls and that is something we are going to work on before the return leg in Nairobi," Odemba added.

The match marked Odemba's first assignment as head coach, having taken over from former coach Godfrey Oduor who stepped down last month.

Cameroon have now beaten Kenya in all their five meetings. They had last met on November 6, 2016 in an international friendly in Douala where Cameroon won 2-1 prior to Friday's game.

Earlier on in a pre-match press conference on Thursday, Odemba had lamented how the team wasted so much time on the road en route to training after the hosts allocated Starlets a training ground far from their hotel.

"The journey to and from the hotel takes approximately two hours. This has proven to be quite exhausting for us, particularly as we had planned for two sessions per day that could have resulted in a total of four hours spent on the road each day. The extended travel time has not only disrupted our schedule but also interfered with our preparations," she said.

"We know the return leg will not be easy, but there is no cause for fear. We will work towards victory," Cameroon coach Jean-Baptiste Bisseck said after the match.

The aggregate winner of this tie will face either Botswana or Gabon in the next round of the qualifiers later in the year.

Botswana hammered Gabon 4-1 in the first leg of their first round tie away from home on Friday to stay on course to making the second round.