BY REBECCA MAGOMA
The national women’s football team Harambee Starlets suffered a 2-0 defeat against Spanish side Real Betis in the semifinals of the ongoing COTIF Women Football Tournament in Valencia,Spain on Wednesday third August.
Second half goals from Paula Moreno and Maria Bernal in the 54th and 67th minutes respectively ensured that Real Betis book a final date with Venezuela national team that is set for Thursday 4 from 9:30 pm EAT.
Venezuela defeated RDC Espanyol 3-2 on post-match penalties after the sides forced a goalless draw in normal time in another semifinal match played on Wednesday night.
This was the first defeat for the David Ouma-coached side in the entire tournament and they will now face off against RDC Espanyol in the third place playoff from 8:30 pm EAT.
This will be the second time the side will meet after meeting in the Group A fixture where Starlets won 3-1.
In another match pitting Portuguese reigning champions CF Benfica defeated Spanish side Elche CF 4-0 to finish in the fifth place.
The national team has so far given their good account since they qualified for their maiden Africa Women’s Cup of Nations (AWCON) finals in April recording five wins from their six matches.
In Spain, Starlets have had impressive run after picking maximum points in their Group A matches to be the group’s leader.
Starlets became the second African nation to be invited for the annual COTIF Tournament after Namibia and the experience from Spain will go a long way in their preparations for the ACON finals set for 19 November to 3 December.
