South Sudan advanced to the next round of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations PAMOJA 2027 qualifiers despite a 1-0 defeat to Djibouti in the second leg of their preliminary round tie in Juba on Sunday. March 29th, 2026.
Holding a commanding 4-0 advantage from the first leg, South Sudan did enough to secure a 4-1 aggregate victory and progress comfortably, even as Djibouti claimed a late consolation win.
After a goalless first half, Djibouti found the breakthrough in the 77th minute when Nigerian turned Djiboutian Samuel Temidayo finished off a move assisted by from Ghanaian who switched nationality Gabriel Dadzie both of Arta/Solar7 to give the visitors their only goal across the two legs.
The goal proved decisive on the night but came too late to threaten South Sudan’s overall dominance in the tie.
South Sudan, who had produced a commanding performance in the first leg with a 4-0 victory, appeared content to manage the game and protect their aggregate lead rather than push forward aggressively in the return encounter.
Djibouti, needing a near-perfect performance to overturn the heavy deficit, showed greater urgency in the second half but struggled to create clear-cut opportunities for long periods.
Their persistence eventually paid off with Temidayo’s late strike, offering a rare moment of reward in what was otherwise a difficult tie for the visitors.