Senegal breathed new life into their 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations campaign with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Kenya, courtesy of Seynabou Mbengue’s first-half strike.
After beginning the tournament with a defeat to Algeria, the West Africans responded with a vital win that keeps their hopes of reaching the quarter-finals alive.
Kenya, however, suffered a second straight loss and bowed out of the competition.
The Harambee Starlets started brightly and created the better openings in the early stages.
Lorna Nyarinda tested the Senegal defence with a long-range effort that drifted just over the crossbar after an earlier attempt from distance.
Kenya almost capitalised moments later when Terry Engesha threatened inside the penalty area, forcing Senegal goalkeeper Adji Ndiaye into a desperate intervention.
Ndiaye sustained a knock during the incident but was able to continue after receiving treatment.
As the first half progressed, Senegal gradually settled into the contest and began to push forward. Nguenar Ndiaye briefly thought she had a chance from a cut-back, but the offside flag halted the move.
Kenya goalkeeper Lilian Awuor was called into action in the 27th minute, punching away a dangerous cross before comfortably gathering Sokhna Pene’s tame effort from outside the area.
At the other end, Wolimata Ndiaye required medical attention after hurting her wrist while challenging Fasila Adhiambo.
The breakthrough arrived in the 30th minute through a swift counter-attack. Pene initiated the move from midfield before releasing Ndeye Casset, who shrugged off Ruth Ingosi and threaded a perfectly weighted pass into the path of Seynabou Mbengue.
The FC Metz forward made no mistake, driving a powerful finish across goal to hand Senegal a 1-0 lead.
Kenya continued to search for an equaliser, with Engesha battling almost single-handedly in attack, but Senegal’s defence stood firm.
Before the interval, Senegal nearly doubled their advantage when Casset’s close-range effort was blocked by Euphraiser Shiltwatso, with Awuor recovering brilliantly to prevent an own goal after the ball rebounded off the post.
Fasila Adhiambo had the final attempt of the half, but her half-volley lacked the power to trouble Ndiaye.
Senegal introduced Mama Diop after the restart, and she nearly made an immediate impact when her header flashed narrowly wide.
Nguenar Ndiaye also tried to catch Awuor off guard with a bouncing effort that the Kenyan goalkeeper safely collected.
Kenya responded with renewed urgency. Engesha forced Ndiaye into a hurried clearance before combining with substitute Marion Serenge, although the final pass ran away from her. She later fired another low effort just wide.
The East Africans came agonisingly close to levelling the score during a dominant spell. Ruth Ingosi rattled the crossbar from distance, Engesha struck the post, and Serenge was denied by a determined Senegalese defence.
Senegal looked dangerous on the counter, but efforts from Ndiaye and Pene failed to find the target.
Kenya continued to threaten, with Engesha hitting the post again after breaking through one-on-one before Mwanalima Jereko tested Ndiaye with a straightforward effort.
Senegal had a golden opportunity to seal the victory late on when Nguenar Ndiaye raced clear on goal, but Awuor produced another important save.
Engesha also squandered a final chance at the other end after miscontrolling the ball and firing into the side netting.
Despite creating the clearer opportunities, Kenya were unable to find the breakthrough. The Harambee Starlets finished with six shots on target and generated 1.61 expected goals (xG), outperforming Senegal’s 1.40 xG, but the Lionesses proved more clinical in front of goal.
The result condemns Kenya to elimination after successive defeats, having previously lost 4-0 to hosts Morocco. Senegal, meanwhile, must now produce a major upset against Morocco in their final Group A fixture to keep their quarter-final hopes alive.
