Senegal bounce back from opening game defeat with narrow win over Kenya at WAFCON

In a fairly quiet start to the match, it was Kenya who created the best chances. After a long-range effort in the opening minutes following three minutes of play, Lorna Nyarinda in turn tried her luck from distance with a floating shot that flew just over the crossbar.

But from the resulting counter-attack, Senegal had a scare as Terry Engesha threatened to head home a loose ball in the box. In attempting to clear the ball, Senegal’s goalkeeper Adji Ndiaye picked up an injury and remained on the ground for some time before getting back to her feet.

Senegal gradually got back into the game and pushed forward twice into the Kenyan box, without much success: after a good clearance by the defence, Nguenar Ndiaye was flagged offside from a cut-back cross.

It wasn’t until the 27th minute that Kenyan goalkeeper Lilian Awuor was called into action. She first punched a cross away for a corner, then made a comfortable save from a somewhat lacklustre shot by Sokhna Pene on the edge of the box. Following an attempted shot by Fasila Adhiambo, Wolimata Ndiaye called for the medical team, having injured her wrist in the challenge.

But it was ultimately Senegal who opened the scoring on a counter-attack launched by Pene from midfield. She played the ball to Ndeye Casset as she ran forward; Casset held her ground against Ruth Ingosi and effortlessly dribbled past her before playing a through ball to Seynabou Mbengue.

The FC Metz striker slotted home confidently with a powerful shot across goal, 1–0.

Left isolated up front, Engesha tried to break through on her own, but was caught by Ndiaye, who forced her to give the ball away inside the six-metre box.

Kenya came close to conceding a second goal before half-time, when a point-blank shot from Casset was parried by Euphraiser Shiltwatso almost into her own net. But Awuor stepped in and stretched to make the save.

The ball rebounded off her post, but she gathered it at the second attempt. Fasila rounded off the first half with a half-volley across goal that lacked the power to beat Ndiaye. The Senegalese goalkeeper gathered it in two attempts.

Kenya may have regrets

After the break, Mama Diop came on to replace Casset and made her mark ten minutes later with a header that went just wide of the far post as she tried to connect with a loose ball in the box. Then Ndiaye tried to catch the Kenyan goalkeeper off guard with a shot that bounced in front of her goal before she gathered it.

Kenya nearly equalised straight away, with Engesha applying immense pressure on Ndiaye, who struggled to clear the ball and was forced to send it out for a corner to avoid losing possession.

After a magnificent first touch whilst running, Engesha tried to link up with Marion Serenge, who had come on at half-time. But the pass was too strong and she failed to hit the target, being too far out on the left.

A second attempt, more central but also from further out, presented itself shortly afterwards: her low shot flew just wide of the Senegalese goalposts.

Kenya created three consecutive chances: a long-range shot from Ruth Ingosi that hit the crossbar, followed by a shot from Engesha that struck the post, before Serenge was denied by the opposition defence.

Senegal tried to fight back with two shots that were too far across goal, first from Ndiaye, then from Pene. But it was Kenya who created the best chances once again, with a shot from Engesha hitting the post as she found herself one-on-one with Ndiaye, followed by a shot from Mwanalima Jereko straight at the Senegalese goalkeeper. 

After a solo run through the heart of the Kenyan defence, Nguenar Ndiaye found herself one-on-one with the goalkeeper and had plenty of time to line up her shot, but she fired straight at Awuor, who made the save. Sent through on goal once more, Engesha failed to control the ball properly and sent her shot into the side netting.

Kenya may have regrets about these 90 minutes, having registered six shots on target and, more importantly, 1.61 xG – more than Senegal, who won 1–0 with ‘just’ 1.40 xG.

The Harambee Starlets have therefore suffered a second consecutive defeat, following their 4-0 loss to Morocco, the hosts of the 2026 Africa Cup of Nations. They are already out of the competition. Senegal, meanwhile, will need to pull off a major upset against Morocco if they are to stand any chance of qualifying for the quarter-finals.

Check out the match stats here.