Kenya sink Sudan to storm semi final stage of AFCON U-20 qualifiers

Kenya have booked the last semi-final slot in the on-going TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) CECAFA Qualifiers.

Going into their last deciding Group A match against Sudan, the Kenyan team went all out to register a 4-0 win in a match played at Azam Complex on Tuesday.

Spanish based striker Aldrine Kibet netted the first hat-trick to guide coach Salim Bab Ndarai to victory. Kibet started it off by finishing well from a corner early in the third minute, and made it 2-0 five minutes going into the interval.

After recess the Sudan team came back strongly before Alothemen Shamseldeen Khalfallah Ahmed had his free-kick punched back by Kenya’s goalkeeper Ibrahim Wanzala after 58 minutes.

Kelvin Wangaya got his name on the score sheet after 68 minutes, and Kibet completed his hat-trick, his first at International level in the one minute of added time.

“I am very happy with the way my players expressed themselves on the pitch scoring four goals. We now have to focus on preparing for the semi-final match against Burundi,” said a happy Kenya coach Ndarai.

In the second Group A match played at the KMC Stadium, Rwanda humbled Djibouti 5-1, their first win in the tournament. The Rwanda team took a 3-0 half time lead with goals from Jesus Paul Sindi, Didie Ndayishimiye and Pascal Iradukunda.

In the second half Vicky Joseph Petry and Yangiri Yeneza added two more goals for Rwanda, while Djibouti also picked a late goal through Ahmed Hassan.

The semi-final stage games will be played on Friday with Uganda facing hosts Tanzania at the KMC Stadium, while Kenya takes on Burundi in the second match at the Azam Complex. The finalists will automatically qualify for the AFCON U-20 tournament to take place next year.