The Kenya U20 men’s football side, Rising Stars, made history on Friday after booking the country’s first-ever ticket to the U20 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2025 following their emphatic 4-0 win over Burundi in the U20 CECAFA qualifying tournament staged in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Needing only to make it to the finals of the zonal tournament in order to be assured of the historic ticket, the Salim Babu-coached side got the job done in the semifinals with goals from Lawrence Okoth, Hassan Beja, midfield sensation Aldrine Kibet and super substitute Louise Ingavi.
Burundi, who came to the match as underdogs, were dominant in the first 15 minutes of the encounter, putting immense pressure on the Rising Stars.
The Gustave Niyonkuru-coached side could have taken the lead in the 17th minute following a mistake from Kenya’s captain Amos Wanjala inside his box, but goalkeeper Ibrahim Wanzala’s quick reflex denied them a reason to smile.
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Meanwhile, Kenya’s best chance of the first half came in the 25th minute when William Mwangi beat a Burundian defender, before whipping in a decent cross which Hassan Beja could redirect into the back of an open net.
Four minutes later, the Kenyan youngsters had another clear chance to take control of the match when Lawrence Okoth delivered a low cross that evaded the Burundian defense only for the goalkeeper to make an instinctive save with his feet to keep out Mwangi’s goal-bound effort as the deadlock remained intact at halftime.
Similar to the first half, Burundi were the better side at the start of the second half, and tested Wanzala a couple of times.
However, it was Rising Stars who drew first blood in the 52nd minute when Mwangi neatly controlled the ball inside the box before laying it to Okoth’s path.
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The only thing Okoth had to do was to find the target, and he did not disappoint, firing a low shot into the net to send the Kenyan fans into celebrations.
The goal made the rising Stars hungrier for more and their hard work eventually paid off in the 67th minute when Hassan Beja made a solo run before sforcing the ball over the line after his initial shot was saved.
Two minutes later, Aldrine Kibet put the game beyond the reach of the opponents with a beautiful sol goal to extend Kenya’s lead to 3-0.
Kenya U20 make history
Super substitute Louise Ingavi put the final nail on Burundi’s coffin in the last seconds of the added time, tapping in from close range.
Kenya will now play hosts Tanzania in the final of the CECAFA region qualifiers scheduled for Sunday, October 20.
The hosts made it to the final after beating defending champions Uganda 2-1 in a hotly contested match, which was decided in the extra time, with the victory also guaranteeing them qualification to the U20 AFCON tournament.
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