NAIROBI, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- The Kenyan and Zambian women's football teams are through to the third round of the Africa qualifiers for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
Kenya overturned a 3-2 deficit from the first leg in Lilongwe to claim a well-deserved 3-0 win over Malawi in Machakos and proceed to the round of eight on a 5-3 aggregate scoreline.
"We showed hunger and fought from the first minute. We were a bit jittery especially at the start of the second half but we managed to hold on to win. This shows that our new team is growing and headed in the right way," said Kenya's head coach David Ouma in Nairobi on Monday.
Malawi head coach Abel Mkandawire admitted his team was no equal to Kenya and said it was one of those bad days at work.
"Kenya really wanted it more than us and they were more disciplined in defense and attack. For us, things did not work out and we could not respond under pressure," said Mkandawire.
Mwanahalima Adam struck a late second half brace to add on to Cynthia Shilwatso's opener as Harambee Starlets progress to the third round and continue to live their dream of a maiden Olympic appearance alive.
"We knew Kenya had a chance to win and we would give our all and the results were evident for us," said Mwanahalima.
It was a walk in the pack for Zambia, who made it to the third round after rivals Zimbabwe failed to show up for the second leg. Zambia beat Zimbabwe 5-0 away in Harare last week.
Other teams will be in action on Tuesday with Kenya's focus on the match pitting Ghana against Gabon in Accra. The host holds a 3-0 advantage and the winner will play against Kenya.
On Tuesday, Mali will host Cote d'Ivoire in Bamako, trailing 0-3 from their loss in Abidjan, Nigeria welcome home Algeria in Lagos holding on to a crucial 2-0 advantage with Cameroon keen to overrun Ethiopia in Yaounde after the two sides had settled for a 1-1 draw in the first leg clash.
Gabon will be in Accra to play hosts Ghana who beat them 3-0 in Libreville while in Johannesburg South Africa will host Botswana with the two teams locked at a barren draw from Gaborone last week.
The overall winner after the fifth round will qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, while the runner-up will contest a play-off against Chile, who finished in second place in the South American qualifying tournament.
