Africa-Press – South-Sudan. The South Sudan junior national team made it to the finals of Zonal Qualifiers, allowing them to debut in the 2023 U-17 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Algeria.
The Bright Stars defeated favourites Tanzania (U-17) 4-3 in a penalty shootout to earn a spot in the continental tourney.
Jonathan Ajoung struck in the 36th minute, giving them the lead in the first half of the match, but Tanzania levelled the scores in the 70th minute through Yasin Manage who forced a penalty shootout.
Felix Marial missed the opening penalty, while Tanzania successfully converted it into the far corner, giving the Bright Stars a poor start to the shootout. Nasona Atoroyo, the Bright Stars’ last-chance penalty-saver, kept the boys’ performance flawless, as they scored all four goals.
Elsewhere but in the same tournament, Somalia defied the ‘‘underdog’’ tag and defeated Uganda 7-8 on post-game penalties. This was after the match had ended in a draw.
South Sudan U-17 will now face Somalia in the finals of the zonal qualifiers to determine the first qualifier, although the two have already booked their place in Algeria’s 2023 AFCON tournament.
Algeria’s tournament is the 15th edition of the U17 AFCON, and the top four teams will qualify for the 2023 FIFA U17 World Cup slated for Peru.
The South Sudanese boys ended their business in second place, behind Uganda, with only a point. And, they now head to the finals thanks to the boys for their beautiful performance.
The two teams will now represent the region in the 2023 U-17 Algeria AFCON.
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