Kenya’s Emerging Stars made a flying start to the inaugural FIFA U-15 Boys World Cup and Festival in Azerbaijan, thrashing Malta 6-2 in their opening match in Baku on Saturday.

Patrick Nyale’s youngsters produced an impressive attacking display, scoring four times in the opening 19 minutes to take control of the contest before completing a convincing victory.

Innocent Media opened the scoring in the fifth minute before Lewis Wafula doubled Kenya’s advantage three minutes later. Malta defender Lee Bonanno then scored an own goal in the 15th minute, further compounding his team’s problems.

Dancan Muyah extended Kenya’s lead to 4-0 in the 19th minute, putting the East Africans firmly in control of the encounter.

Malta responded through two penalties, with Declan Zammit converting in the 25th minute before Enzo de Freitas scored four minutes later to reduce the deficit to 4-2.

The goals briefly offered Malta a way back into the contest, but Kenya responded positively after the break. Silas Juma restored the three-goal cushion in the 32nd minute before Muyah completed his brace four minutes later to seal the 6-2 victory.

The result gave Kenya an encouraging start to the competition, with Muyah leading the scoring charge and several teammates contributing to the emphatic win.

The Emerging Stars now face a demanding schedule, with four more matches lined up during the opening phase of the tournament.

Kenya are scheduled to play Panama on Sunday morning before facing North Macedonia later in the day. They will return to action on Monday, October 26, for matches against Nigeria and Chad.

The inaugural tournament runs from October 24 to 30 in Baku and features an eight-a-side format, with matches played over two 20-minute halves. The competition offers young footballers an opportunity to gain international exposure and test themselves against opponents from different footballing backgrounds.