Kenya’s AFCON hopes delayed after U17 semifinal loss to Tanzania
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Reading Time: 2min | Sun. 30.11.25. | 13:59
A moment of brilliance from Armstrong Omondi finally pulled one back for Kenya, but it came too late
Kenya’s U17 team fell 3–1 to regional rivals Tanzania in a tense AFCON U17 CECAFA Qualifiers semifinal played on Sunday afternoon at the Abebe Bikila Stadium in Addis Ababa.
Tanzania controlled large stretches of the match, dominating possession and showing greater sharpness in the final third. Their clinical display secured a deserved win, sending them to the final and booking their ticket to next year’s AFCON in Morocco.
Kenya began brightly and had a golden opportunity to take the lead in the 12th minute after winning a penalty. Kariobangi Sharks forward Nicholas Ochola stepped up, but his low effort was saved by goalkeeper Haji Abdallah, who guessed correctly to deny the opener.
The miss proved costly seven minutes later when Tanzania went ahead from a set piece. A well-delivered free-kick from the right was powered home by Nhingo Luzelenga’s bullet header. Moments later, another dangerous set piece forced Kenyan goalkeeper Georgian Omondi into a smart save to keep the deficit at one.
Despite falling behind, Kenya continued to push forward. They nearly equalised in the 26th minute, but Derrick Obote could not beat Abdallah after excellent buildup play from Trevor Nasasira down the right.
Tanzania doubled their advantage in the 30th minute through tournament top scorer Luqman Mbalasalu, who finished clinically after a quick transition left him one-on-one with Omondi, giving Kenya a mountain to climb.
The remainder of the first half was evenly contested, with both teams exchanging attacks, but Tanzania carried their two-goal lead into the break.
Kenya showed greater urgency after the break, but clear openings remained hard to come by as William Muluya’s side was limited to hopeful efforts from distance that posed little danger to the Tanzanian goalkeeper.
A moment of brilliance from Armstrong Omondi finally pulled one back for Kenya in the 83rd minute but in stoppage time, Soann Shabani ended any hope of a Kenya comebakc with a third goal for Tanzania. This is their second straight triumph over Kenya after last year’s 1–0 result in the group stage.
The Junior Stars still have a lifeline: they can qualify for AFCON by winning Tuesday’s third-place playoff, where they will meet the loser of the Uganda vs Ethiopia semifinal.
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