By Emmanuel Patrick Laku — Sports Hunter South Sudan
Juba - South Sudan U17 staged an impressive comeback to defeat Sudan U17 3–2 at Kigali Pele Stadium on Monday evening, October 12, 2026, in the 2027 TotalEnergies CAF U-17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers for the CECAFA Zone in Rwanda.
The Young Bright Stars overturned a two-goal deficit after Sudan made a strong start to the contest, with three unanswered goals securing a valuable victory for coach Mawien Deng Ajing’s side.
Anwar Abdalrahim broke the deadlock for Sudan in the 36th minute before Radi Ahmed Salim doubled their advantage just three minutes later, putting the Young Falcons of Jeddian in a commanding position.
South Sudan responded in first-half stoppage time when Samson Panuel pulled one back in the 45+3 minute, reducing the deficit to 2–1 at the break and giving the Young Bright Stars renewed hope.
Anyieth sparks the comeback
South Sudan returned from the interval with greater attacking intent and restored parity just seven minutes after the restart through Mobil Aguek Ayuen, who brought the score to 2–2.
With the contest evenly poised, the Young Bright Stars continued their search for a winner and completed the turnaround in the 75th minute when Abubaker Rashid scored an own goal, handing South Sudan a dramatic 3–2 victory.
The result gives South Sudan a crucial three points after their opening 1–0 defeat to hosts Rwanda, keeping their hopes of progressing to the semi-finals alive.
Semi-final qualification remains uncertain
Despite the comeback victory, South Sudan’s progression to the semi-finals is not guaranteed, with their fate dependent on the remaining group fixtures and the final standings.
The 2027 CAF U-17 AFCON CECAFA qualifiers feature three groups, with the three group winners and the best second-placed team advancing to the semi-finals. The three best-performing teams in the zonal competition will qualify for the continental finals.
South Sudan sit second in Group A with three points and a goal difference of zero, behind Rwanda, who also have three points but a +1 goal difference and a game in hand against Sudan.
Sudan remain on zero points ahead of their final group fixture against the hosts.
Elsewhere, Uganda and Ethiopia are competing for the leading positions in Group B, while Tanzania, Somalia and Kenya contest Group C. Results in those groups will help determine the best second-placed team and the final semi-final line-up.
For coach Mawien Deng Ajing and his players, the victory over Sudan represents a strong response after their opening defeat. However, the Young Bright Stars must now wait for the remaining results to discover whether their comeback will be enough to keep their campaign alive.
South Sudan have demonstrated resilience in recovering from two goals down, but their ambition of reaching the 2027 CAF U-17 AFCON finals remains dependent on the final group standings.
