The Chapa Dimba All-Stars tasted their first defeat on Spanish soil on Thursday but walked away with heads held high.
The boys’ team fell 2-1 to AD Sabiñánigo in a tense clash at the Huesca Academy Grounds. Emmanuel Essel struck just before half-time for the hosts, with Mario Fernando doubling the lead early in the second half. Armstrong Omondi pulled one back for the Kenyan side, but despite mounting late pressure, time ran out.
Coach Evans Oketch insisted the scoreline told only part of the story. “With the right football mentality, we still count ourselves as winners,” he said after the match. “The boys created plenty of chances and showed great play, even though they were a bit exhausted from the tight schedule. I was truly impressed.”
It was a tough outing, too, for the girls’ side. Facing SD Huesca’s under-14 boys’ team, they fell 4-1, with Calta Nasambu netting the consolation goal.
Safaricom’s Chief Consumer Business Officer, Fawzia Ali-Kimanthi, said the camp was already bearing fruit. “They have been receiving professional coaching, and the progress is already visible,” she noted. The players will cap off their week by attending a Spanish league match between SD Huesca and Málaga — a chance, she added, to see top-tier football “up close” and be inspired.
The defeats came on day four of the elite training camp, part of Safaricom’s flagship youth programme. For the young Kenyans, the Spanish experience is about more than scores — it’s about lessons that could shape their football journey for years to come.
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