South Sudan recorded a historic 1-0 win over the Central African Republic on Thursday, with Paul Mara's first-half penalty sealing the win for the Bright Stars to brighten their chances of progressing.
South Sudan's U20 coach, Peter James insists that his side will draw inspiration from Morocco’s run to the 2022 FIFA World Cup semi-final, in their bid to reach the quarter-finals of the U20 Africa Cup of Nations.
South Sudan is participating in the U20 AFCON for the first time after qualifying as runners-up of the CECAFA zone, and are looking at making history by reaching the quarter-finals of the tournament.
South Sudan recorded a historic 1-0 win over the Central African Republic on Thursday, with Paul Mara's first-half penalty sealing the win for the Bright Stars to brighten their chances of progressing.
James believes that his team is capable of emulating Morocco's success and making a name for themselves in the tournament.
"It is our first time to qualify for the AFCON U20 and it is an honour but we're here because we deserved to be here," James said.
"We have so many examples like Morocco did it at the FIFA World Cup why not South Sudan here at the AFCON U20," he added.
Morocco impressed the football world with their run at the 2022 World Cup, where they reached the quarter-finals before losing to France.
The Atlas Lions recorded victories over Canada and Belgium, Spain and Portugal in their run-up to a third-place finish in Qatar.
Their performance earned them widespread praise and left a lasting impression on James and his team.
"We came from the CECAFA zone with Uganda, so we're trying to show where South Sudan football is. Our next target is to win our next game so that we move up," James stressed.
"Football is a game of hard work - we have been working hard in the first game. I'm very happy we did the job and we will continue in that spirit."
Up next for James and his fledglings is a date with neighbours Uganda Hippos on Sunday at the Suez Canal Stadium in Ismailia with both sides targeting a spot at the next stage.
The Hippos are joint top on four points after a victory and draw against the Central African Republic and Congo, respectively.
South Sudan's victory over the Central African Republic has given them a fighting chance of progressing to the quarter-finals.
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