Tut Gatluak Manime, Presidential Advisor on Security Affairs (middle row and white robe) and Investment Minister Dhieu Mathok holding T-shirts during a picture with the U20 national football team. (Photo: SSFA).

The South Sudan national football team under 20 made history on Tuesday night after beating Ethiopia in a dramatic game that lasted 120 minutes to reach CECAFA finals, and qualify for AFCON 2023 in Egypt.

The 4:2 victory come through penalty shootouts after the official and extra time of the match played at Al-Hilal Stadium in Omdurman, Sudan ended a two-all-draw between the two teams.

With that result, South Sudan Bright Stars is now in the final of CECAFA Zonal Qualification and securing a place in AFTON-March, 2023 in Egypt.

According to the chairman of the committee for the national team at the South Sudan Football Association, this year, the national teams’ achievements weren’t by chance, but by a concrete plan by SSFA.

Michael Daniel told Eye Radio that 2022 is a year for South Sudan Football show casing in the regional arenas.

“All the dreams and hopes now become reality and we have harvested its fruits to this stage, and that is the beginning. God willing, next time, South Sudan will have more achievements,” Daniel said.

“This is not by chance because it is the first time within the year to have two teams to make such an achievement, and this is a history that cannot happen in near future,

“Let me say congratulations to everyone and my thanks to the sports family, fans, media, and football association for their support in a very hard time.”

For his part, the coach of Bright Stars U20 has promised the football fans more achievements in the coming games.

Charles John has described how he and his team manage to overcome the Ethiopian counterparts, stating that

“the match against Ethiopia  was a hard game because they were much technical with good positioning, but we  still managed to stop them,” John said.

“There was no other solution apart from taking them to extra time so that we go for penalties, this is because their players are more experienced compared to ours,

“For the Ugandan game, the crane is the title holder in the game, and they have the better capacity with many stars, but we have prepared our team and  God willing, the victory will be for us.”

Meanwhile, the chairman of the committee for the national team has called on the government to support the two teams in their continental duties in Algeria and Egypt in March.