CHAN 2018 Preliminary Round Qualifiers:
- South Sudan 2-0 Somalia (Aggregate 4-1)
South Sudan overcame Somalia 2-0 in the return leg of the 2018 Championship of African Nations (CHAN) preliminary round qualifiers at the Juba stadium on Sunday.
A goal-less opening half was lit up by Wurube and James Moga’s 53rd and 69th strikes respectively as Uganda’s neighbors to the North advance to the first round 4-1 on aggregate since the first leg had ended 2-1 in Djibouti.
Somalia is coached by the Ugandan pair of Harunah Mawa (Head coach) and Moses ‘Ugoboss’ Oloya (Goalkeeping coach).
Next in line is a date with the CECAFA giants Uganda Cranes come July.
The Bright Stars of South Sudan will host the first leg tie on 14th July, 2017 with the return leg expected a week later in Kampala.
The aggregate winner will face either Rwanda or Tanzania for a ticket to the 2018 CHAN finals in Kenya.
Uganda has played at three different CHAN final tournaments since 2011 only missing out in the 2009 edition. The Cranes played in Sudan (2011), South Africa (2014) and Rwanda (2016) in the tournament only played by players who ply their trade in the respective home countries.
However, the Uganda Cranes have never progressed past the group stages in the three different editions played in.
Democratic Republic of Congo is the reigning and record champion (two titles under the belt).
Different CHAN Winners:
2009, 2016: Democratic Republic of Congo
2014: Libya
2011: Tunisia