Kenyan teams at the ongoing ISF football World School Championships (WSC) recorded a bag of mixed fortunes on Day three of the championship. It was a dramatic day that saw a red card, an own goal, and elimination as well.
The Kenyan girls pushed forth their qualification campaign from the group stage with a 2-2 draw with Ghana.
Elizabeth Mideva Lwangu opened the scoring early in the game, giving Kenya the lead courtesy of her 4th minute goal. That was her second goal of the tournament following her first goal in their first game against Germany. This effort saw her equal the tally of her teammate Joy Marvelous who also has two goals to her name. The two girls are now the team’s joint leading scorers.
Kenya’s joy was nevertheless short-lived. Less than 30 minutes later, Ghana’s Faustina Tiwaa equalised for the West Africans. Staring at elimination in the face, this goal gave Ghana a lifeline. Anything short of a victory would see them ousted from the competition. The girls were determined to avoid an early flight back to Accra, and soon after the halftime break Jacqueline Ampomaa Amponsah lifted Ghana from the jaws of elimination. She made it 2-1 in favour of the West Africans with a 56th minute goal.
However, from there onwards, everything turned into a comedy of errors for the Ghanaians. Indeed they scored a 3rd goal in the 68th minute. Only, it was an own goal tragically kicked into their own net to gift Kenya a second goal and make it 2-2.
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As if this wasn’t enough, exactly 24 minutes after Jacqueline Amponsah’s goal that had given Ghana the lead, her namesake Frankline Amponsah brought disrepute to the “Amponsah” name after she got herself sent off in the 80th minute, condemning her team to play 10 girls against the now buoyant Kenyans.
The Kenyan girls held on to the draw to lead the group while Ghana were eliminated. England who beat fellow Europeans Germany 2-0 are second.
In boys’ battle, Uganda’s Amus College startled their neighbours after Hussein Sharif’s first minute goal. With the Kenyan side’s key striker Robert Mutie who had accumulated successive yellow cards on the bench, all hopes lay on top scorer Austine Odongo to equalise. On the contrary Odongo instead picked up a yellow card before the break, one of four cards for the Kenyan team which saw even their skipper Elisha Nalianya booked.
Things got worse for the Kenyans in the second half following Busuulwa Devis’ second goal for the Ugandans in the 56th minute to end the match at 2-0 and subject the top-form Kenyans to their first loss in the tournament.
As the teams now take a one-day cultural break to sample the delights of Dalian City, Kenya’s impressive run in the world competition remains firmly on course.
By our reporter
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