Beldine Odemba, head coach of Kenya Police Bullets, has her eyes firmly set on the semi-finals of the CAF Women’s Champions League CECAFA qualifiers after her side cruised past Eritrea’s DenDen with a 2-0 victory at Nyayo Stadium on Wednesday.
Striker Emily Moranga opened the scoring before Ugandan forward Zaina Namileme sealed the win, confirming the Bullets’ dominance in Group A. The victory, their second in as many matches, came just days after they edged Uganda’s Kampala Queens 1-0.
The result leaves Odemba’s side top of the group with six points, three clear of Kampala Queens. DenDen, who were thrashed 7-0 by Kampala in their opener, exit the competition without a win.
Odemba praised her players but admitted they had missed chances that could have widened the margin.
“I congratulate my girls for a good fight against DenDen,” she said after the match. “We got more chances but failed to finish them, and that’s something I’m working on going into the semis. Whoever we meet, be it JKU, JKT or Yei Joint Stars, we are ready.”
The Bullets will face the Group C winners, with the semi-finals scheduled for 14 September. The final and third-place playoff will follow two days later.
The coach also issued a call to supporters. “I thank the fans for their continued support and urge them to come out in large numbers on Sunday to cheer the girls,” she added.
Her words underline the growing momentum around women’s football in Kenya, with the Bullets now just two games away from securing a place at the CAF Women’s Champions League finals in Egypt this November.
The qualifiers, which bring together nine champions from across the region, have set the stage for some of the fiercest competition yet in East African women’s football.
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