- Plateau Queens are hoping to win the title on home soil
- Barcelona Girls from Central are seeking their second national title
- The boys’ semis will also be played Saturday
The Chapa Dimba na Safaricom youth tournament final will go down Saturday, with Nyanza region reigning champions and the season one national champions, Plateau Queens, alias Nyakach Girls, taking on Central region’s Barcelona Ladies.
Nyakach sailed through to the national finals after silencing Brenda Girls from Bungoma County 5-1 in the Girls’ semifinals at the Jomo Kenyatta Stadium in Mamboleo, Kisumu County.
Plateau Queens started brightly with Sheryl Awuor opening the scoring in the 6th minute. Emilly Moranga added a second goal for the Nyakach girls in the 16thminute with Swaumu Masungo making it 3-nil a minute later.
Moranga scored her second and Plateau’s fourth goal 5 minutes before the break. After the restart Esther Mukhwana pulled a goal back for Brenda Girls in the 49th minute but super-sub Vivian Akinyi sealed the 5-1 victory for Plateau Queens to stay in the hunt for a second national title.
“We are thrilled to have made it to the finals after defeating the Western regional champions, Brenda Girls, in a very tough match. They were very physical, but we managed to cut through their defense. As the season one champions, we are aiming for nothing but the trophy for the second time.” said Chrispine Odindo, Head Coach, Plateau Queens.
Laikipia’s Barcelona Ladies SC had to come back from a goal down to defeat Rift Valley defending champions, Wiyeta Girls 2-1 in a hard-fought Chapa Dimba semifinal.
Plateau keep Chapa Dimba hunt with perfect second half
Action in the girls’ semi-finals
After a barren draw in the first half, Edna Wanda opened the scoring in the 46th minute for Wiyeta Girls with Eunice Nabwoba, making a significant impact as a second half substitute.
Naomi Masinde equalized for Wiyeta in the 52nd minute but Joseph Wafula’s charges were caught on the counter-attack, allowing Calta Nassambu to dribble and score the winning goal for Barcelona Ladies in the 63rd minute to secure the 2-1 victory.
Coach Odindo’s Plateau Queens had advanced to the Chapa Dimba semifinals after defeating Changamwe Ladies from Mombasa 2-0, while Barcelona Ladies SC had secured their slot to the semis after thrashing Wajir Queens 18-0.
The two will battle it out for KES 1 million, TVET Scholarships and national supremacy on Sunday at Jomo Kenyatta Mamboleo Stadium.
The boys’ Chapa Dimba semifinals set for Saturday will see Ebwali Boys from Western region lock horns with Rift Valley’s PASC Langa while home team Obunga FC representing Nyanza region battle it out with Mombasa’s Bandari Youth.
Obunga will rely massively on their home advantage to sail to the final and ensure the Chapa Dimba title remains in Kisumu.
Obunga boys remain confident of Chapa Dimba title
The action in the boys semis is set for Saturday.
Head coach Evans Oketch believes his team is well prepared and will have everything set to battle for a win.
“We expect a very difficult match but we are ready because Bandari Youth is a good team. We have seen how they play and we know the strategy we will use to contain them. My boys are relaxed and under no pressure though we are playing at home and that can bring nerves sometime,” said the coach.
He added; “But for us we want to use that as motivation to push ourselves to attain the trophy. That is our target. We just wanted to get to the final and from there, we will give our all to see where we end up. We are determined and ready,” added the coach.
Obunga will be missing their key player Duncan Omalla, who late last year helped them to the Chapa Dimba Nyanza regional title. The player is away in West Africa after joining an academy in Senegal.
However, coach Oketch believes they have had enough time to scout for an able replacement and they will not struggle in his absence.
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