South Sudan determined to book group stage slot for AFCON 2023 qualifiers

The head coach of the South Sudan national team, Stefano Cusin has said his team is determined to book a slot in the group stage of the qualifiers of the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

Cusin’s team host Djibouti this afternoon in the return leg of the preliminary stage of the AFCON 2023 qualifiers at the St. Marys Stadium in Kitende, Uganda.

South Sudan and Djibouti cannot host matches at home yet since their national stadiums are undergoing renovation.

After winning the first leg 4-2 in a match played in Egypt few days ago, the Bright Star are hoping to register another win infront of their fans expected to watch the match.

“We know it will not be an easy match because Djibouti also want to win . But my players are determined to give their best to be able to qualify for the group stage of the qualifiers,” said South Sudan’s coach Cusin.

But Warsama Ibrahim Aden, one of the scorers for Djibouti in the first leg also made it clear that they have gone back to the drawing board and will be all out to give their best today.

In the first leg Tito Okello netted a brace, while Rashid Toha Freedon and William Emmanuel Kundu Gama scored for the South Sudan team, while Samuel Akinbinu and Warsama were on target for Djibouti.

Another CECAFA team Somalia lost the first leg 3-0 to Eswatini in a match hosted in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The return leg is expected to be played in South Africa.

The other teams battling in the preliminary stage of the qualifiers include; Gambia, Seychelles, Lesotho, Chad, Sao Tome and Principe. Botswana earned a walkover Eritrea who opted to pull-out of the qualifiers.