Cranes face South Sudan banana skin
by John Vianney Nsimbe · The ObserverThe Uganda Cranes will be meeting South Sudan for the fifth time in history this Friday, October 11 at the Nelson Mandela Stadium in Namboole.
In the previous four meetings, Cranes boast of two wins, a draw and a loss. However, over the next one week, The Cranes and the Bright Stars of South Sudan will be counting six meetings. The expectation for The Cranes is that their tally of wins goes up to four, which would be the gateway to qualifying for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon).
The Cranes host the Bright Stars at Namboole stadium this Friday, October 11, before they make the short trip to Juba for the reverse fixture on October 15. Wins from both games would propel The Cranes to 10 points, which in the view of many appears to guarantee qualification Afcon for the first time since 2019.
But in reality, examining the dynamics of the group ‘K’ that The Cranes lead ahead of South Africa on goal difference, ten points would only suffice, depending on results from other games. Notably, after Cranes has completed its double-header against South Sudan, both Congo-Brazzaville and South Africa would have to meet each other.
At the same time, they would both be meeting South Sudan again. And in the worst case scenario that they both record wins against South Sudan again, Congo would have six points while South Africa would have seven. Factor in the possibility that both South Africa and Congo share victories between each other.
Then, Congo would go to nine points, while South Africa would be on 10 points. Therefore, only face-offs with The Cranes would remain on the horizon. In case Cranes lost both those ties, Congo would have 12 points while South Africa, 13.
Based on that, The Cranes can ill afford to begin celebrating qualification just by merely beating South Sudan twice. The Cranes would need at least one point from their last two games in November to be on the safe side, although two draws, which would propel them to 12 points, simply guarantee qualification.
Paul Put, The Cranes coach, has been consistent in emphasizing the need for his players to maintain focus on the matter at hand. He has cautioned them against complacency because of the danger it can create. Cranes captain, Khalid Aucho, among others, knows so well about the dangers of taking an opponent like South Sudan for granted.
Under previous coach Jonathan McKinstry, during the 2021 Afcon qualifiers, Cranes were in a similar situation. After drawing 0-0 with Burkina Faso in Ouagadougou, they followed that up with a 2-0 victory at home against Malawi. Then the meeting against South Sudan came.
It needed a last-minute headed strike by then debutant, centre-back Halid Lwaliwa, to give Cranes a 1-0 win. But four days later, at the Nyayo stadium in Kenya, South Sudan won the reverse fixture 1-0 courtesy of a Tito Okello strike, which derailed Cranes’ qualification prospects.
Such is the banana skin that South Sudan has proved to be before, when it mattered most. The previous 5-0 Cranes win over South Sudan in the 2018 Chan qualifiers courtesy of a Paul Mucureezi four-goal haul became an insignificant footnote.
“We always know that The Cranes underlook us. Consequently, that brings the best out of us. And believe me, we have no fear for them,” Geriga Atendele, South Sudan’s right-back, who features for NEC FC in the Uganda Premier League, said.
South Sudan’s current squad comprises seven naturalized footballers that ordinarily would have represented Uganda, had they been given a cap. In truth, quality between the two sides hardly differs; so, a close match-up is expected.
For the likes of Rashid Okocha, William Gama, Wahab Gaddafi, Rashid Toha and Ivan Wani, a former student at Jinja SS, they are not intimidated by Uganda because they know them so well, having played together long, before. In fact, they view The Cranes as the easiest opponent in group ‘K’.