A sizzling Ibtissam Jraidi scored twice in the 31st and 47th minutes, while Sakina Ouzraoui and Maryame Atiq found the back of the net in the 19th and 28th minutes respectively, as the Atlas Lionesses claimed all three points.
Despite the heavy defeat, Harambee Starlets head coach Beldine Odemba remained optimistic, saying the team would regroup and shift focus to their matchday two Group A fixture against Senegal.
‘Senegal a different team’
“We have never played against Senegal. They are a different team, so it will require a different approach. We still stand a chance,” Odemba told reporters after the game.
“We have played against Senegal before. We lost the first match and drew the second match so that’s a team we understand. We are taking one match at a time.”
Kenya youngster Valerie Nasaka expressed confidence ahead of the Senegal clash, admitting the team must learn from their mistakes.
“In the first half, we wanted to score and we had our chances. We need to rectify the mistakes we made against Morocco,” offered Nasaka.
“Being handed my first start was a great opportunity, and I believe I made the most of it.”
Starlets captain Mwanalima Adam echoed the need for improvement, particularly in converting chances.
“The Morocco match is behind us and we have learnt from it. We will correct the mistakes before facing Senegal,” said Adam.
“Morocco created their chances and took them well. Our focus is now on the next game, and I hope we get a positive result.
“As players, we will give our best. Morocco is a good side and they capitalised on our mistakes.”
Morocco started brightly and almost opened the scoring in the fourth minute, but Nouhaila Benzina's effort was comfortably gathered by Kenya goalkeeper Lilian Awour.
At the start of the second half, Odemba made three substitutions, introducing Mercy Airo for Martha Amunyolete, Euphrasia Shilwatso for Vivian Nasaka, and Shalyne Opisa in place of Eglay Mukhwana.
However, Morocco extended their lead just two minutes after the restart when Jraidi grabbed her second goal of the match to make it 4-0.
In the other Group A fixture, Algeria defeated Senegal 2-0 at the Olympic Stadium. Maureen Dafeur of Bristol City opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 42nd minute before FC Nantes forward Melissa Bethi sealed the win with an 88th-minute strike.
Senegal must beat Kenya
Senegal coach Mame Moussa Cisse has promised to turn things around and bounce back in their next match against Kenya.
“Mentally, we need to get the girls back on track very quickly. We need to make them understand that this is part of the competition,” said Cisse.
“That some teams might have a slow start but still end up in the competition. We’re going to study our opponent carefully. We’re going to try to win. We have to win this match because we're already out of contention.
“It’s imperative that we win this match. We'll try to do it by respecting our style of play and what we’ve put in place so far.
“I think that if we play the way we know how, we have the chance to win this match and get back into the competition.”
On losing against Algeria, Cisse said: “We’re very disappointed. We needed to win this first match to get off to a good start in the competition.
“Unfortunately, we lost due to unforeseen circumstances. We started the match well, playing a good 30 minutes. We pressed our opponents high up the pitch and prevented them from playing.
“We created chances but failed to convert them. That’s when we left ourselves vulnerable. We dropped back and gave the opposition too much space.”
Kenya will now face Senegal in a must-win second Group A match on July 30th, 2026, at the Olympic Stadium, with the kick-off scheduled for 11:00 PM (Kenya time).
They will conclude their group-stage campaign against Algeria on August 3, 2026, at the Olympic Stadium in Rabat.
