South Sudan coach Nicolas Dupuis has sung praises for the performance of his players following a 3-2 loss against South Africa in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match on Tuesday at Juba Stadium.
The hosts showed that they meant business when they registered first on the score sheet, Tito Okello converted a penalty kick following Siyabonga Ngezana’s foul in the box.
Bafana Bafana responded through a brace by Polokwane City’s Oswin Appollis to go to the half-time break on a 2-1 lead. Valentino Yuel took advantage of a mistake from Bafana’s defence to score the equalizer in the 57th minute.
The match looked set to end in a draw and the two sides were going to share the spoils until second-half substitute Thalente Mbatha scored a cracker in the last minute of the game to hand South Africa all three points.
The victory moved Hugo Broos’ troops to the second spot in the group with four points. Their next clash will be against Congo Republic on 11 October.
Dupuis said he is proud of the impressive display by his players against one of the best teams in the continent.
“I can say I am very proud of my players because it was against South Africa. They are very good players. It is a very, very good team, one of the best in Africa actually. So, I am very proud of the players.”
The Bright Stars are now at the bottom of Group K following back-to-back losses. They were edged by Congo 1-0 in their opening game. They will have a chance at redemption when they face Uganda who are currently topping the group in a double fixture next month.
Written by Siphesihle Soni