BY Obakeng Maje

Kenya head into their final match of the 8-Nations International under-20 Tournament on the back of two defeats, but remains upbeat about their experiences in Cape Town.

The east African side faces Cameroon on Wednesday (30 May) night at the Athlone Stadium in the final game of Group B. Kickoff is at 20H30.

Neither side can qualify for the semi-finals – Kenya having lost 3-0 to Japan and 4-0 to Brazil, while Cameroon went down 1-0 to Brazil and 2-1 to Japan.

However, for the Kenyan contingent, the outing down south has been a constructive and rewarding exercise, even if results have not gone their way. 

Long-serving former Santos and Kenyan captain Musa Otieno is one of the most respected players in his home country, where he runs a football academy.

Otieno has been working in an advisory capacity with the Kenya technical team down in the Mother City, and is upbeat in terms of how his country’s participation in the prestigious tournament will be of future benefit.

“It’s good for us to get a chance to play in this kind of tournament. We have learnt a lot and I believe we have been beaten through little mistakes the boys made.

“It’s a learning process for us and it’s a good chance for the federation to look at the players. The average age of this team is only 16 or 17, they are very young compared to the other countries.

“For us losing was not a big deal. Yes we feel bad, but the boys are learning fast and I’m very happy with the way they are performing, it’s all part of a building process,” he said.

For Japan coach Yasushi Yoshida and his team, it’s been a successful tournament thus far, with wins over Kenya and Cameroon.

The Asian side have been highly impressive, showing superb technical and tactical ability, setting the tournament alight with some wonderful football.
Yoshida can lead his charges into battle against Brazil without any pressure upon their shoulders, a place in the semi-finals already secured. The match kicks off at 18H00, at Athlone Stadium.

For Yoshida, the excursion to Africa has been a success in that it has given his team the chance to play against the kind of opposition they would not normally come up against.

“Cameroon had a really high level of playing – they are very strong and very fast and we don’t have a strong team like Cameroon in Asian countries, so it was a very good experience for us.

“Our players come from all over Japan – playing professionally in our two leagues with 40 clubs – J1 and J2. We gathered our greatest players and we are happy with the chance to come and play in this tournament.

“Now we look forward to a rare opportunity for us to play against Brazil, so we are looking forward to the occasion and will be giving it our best effort,” he said.