South Sudan Men's football team. (Photo: SSFA//Facebook).
South Sudan lost away to the Republic of Congo by 1-0 in the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers on Thursday as football fans criticize the painting of the coat of arms on the national team jersey.
The match, played at the Stade Alphonse Massamba-Débat, Congo, saw the hosts scoring the only goal of the match in the 12th minute as Bright Stars battled valiantly without a breakthrough.
Congo’s midfielder, Massanga Matondo, found the back of the net with an assist from forward, Vieljeux Mboungou as the Red Deviles were off to a hopeful tournament.
South Sudan’s several attempts to score were thwarted by the opponents’ solid defense and some excellent saves by the Congolese goalkeeper.
Nicolas Dupuis’s men eventually displayed resilience throughout the match, creating a few scoring chances, especially through their captain Peter Chol and striker Tito Okello, but which they struggled to convert into goals.
The defeat leaves South Sudan in the fourth position of Group K in their AFCON qualification campaign, waiting for this afternoon game between South Africa and Uganda.
To advance, the Bright Stars will need a win and hope for favorable results from other fixtures in the group.
The defeat is a setback for South Sudan, which has been showing promising growth in recent years.
However, their AFCON qualification journey is not over yet, and all eyes will now turn to their must-win clash against South Africa on September 10th.
Meanwhile, South Sudanese football fans have taken to social media to voice displeasure with the white jersey that the team donned during the match, due to the national coat of arms printed on the front.
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