CAPE TOWN: Atak Lual’s second-half goal gave South Sudan their first ever competitive victory as the world’s newest nation beat Equatorial Guinea 1-0 in African Cup of Nations qualifying on Saturday.

South Sudan’s success came three years after they were allowed to play international football, and boosts their chances of an even bigger shock: Qualifying for the continent’s championship in 2017.

Lual scored in the 52nd minute in Juba to stun Equatorial Guinea, semi-finalists at the African Cup they hosted this year.

Elsewhere in the second round, Ghana and Senegal secured away wins but it proved an embarrassing day for the continent’s other footballing heavyweights with Nigeria drawing and South Africa and Tunisia beaten.

The win for South Sudan, which gained independence from Sudan in 2011, delighted home fans in the capital. Lual’s winner put the South Sudanese level on three points with Group ‘C’ leaders Mali, who have a game in hand.

Equatorial Guinea, the surprise package at the Cup of Nations this year, are bottom of the group with a point from two matches and looking like they will struggle to qualify for 2017.

South Sudan beating Equatorial Guinea, ranked over 100 places higher, was the biggest surprise on Saturday but not the only one.

Liberia celebrated their first game at home since being allowed to host soccer again after the Ebola outbreak by beating Tunisia 1-0, with Liberian fans braving heavy rain in Monrovia to welcome their team back.

The fans were rewarded by Francis Doe’s winning goal in the 67th as Liberia went level on three points with Tunisia in second place in Group ‘A’ behind Togo, who beat Djibouti on Friday and are on six points.

South Africa suffered a major setback in Mauritania, ranked by FIFA some 40 places below them, as goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune dropped a free kick into his own net in the opening five minutes before the visitors’ debutant defender Siyabonga Zulu was sent off.

Despite being down to 10 men, South Africa equalised only to give away two late goals in a 3-1 defeat which marks the biggest scalp in Mauritania’s limited international history.

Success lifted Mauritania from the bottom to the top of Group ‘M’ on goals scored although Cameroon will regain first place if they don’t lose their game in hand. South Africa are bottom of the group.

A late free kick from Mubarak Wakaso handed Ghana a 1-0 win over Rwanda in Kigali and a second successive win in the preliminaries for the 2017 finals in Gabon.

Ghana, runners-up to Ivory Coast in the 2015 Cup of Nations, lead Group ‘H’ with six points, three more than Rwanda.

Cheikhou Kouyate and Sadio Mane scored either side of halftime to give Senegal a 2-0 away victory in Namibia and maintain their 100 percent record in Group ‘K’.

Burundi are second, three points adrift, after a 2-0 victory over Niger in Bujumbura thanks to goals from South Africa-based duo Fiston Abdul Razak and Papy Faty.

Nigeria were held to a goalless draw away in Tanzania in a disappointing start for new coach Sunday Oliseh with debutant English-born goalkeeper Carl Ikeme proving the difference between a single point and defeat for the visitors.

A point took Nigeria to the top of Group ‘G’, but record seven-time African champions Egypt will overtake them if they dodge defeat in their game in hand.

Uganda President Yoweri Museveni funded the $210,000 (190,000 euros) travel costs of the Cranes to the Comoros islands off the south-east coast.

The cash-strapped national team triumphed 1-0 in Group ‘D’ courtesy of a goal midway through the first half from recalled Iceland-based Tonny Mawejje.

Joel Mogorosi’s strike handed Botswana a 1-0 home win over Burkina Faso, who were Nations Cup runners-up in 2013.

Nordin Amrabat, Youssef El Arabi and Nabil Dirar scored as Morocco won 3-0 away in tiny Sao Tome e Principe and Fode Dore got a hat-trick as Congo emerged 4-2 winners in Guinea Bissau.

The 13 group winners and two best second-placed teams qualify for the 2017 African Cup in Gabon.

Published in Dawn, September 7th, 2015

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