CAIRO — At the Borg El Arab Stadium in Alexandria, Egypt, South Sudan picked up a vital 4-2 victory over Djibouti, who are hosting their home matches up north due to the unavailability of an approved stadium at their backyard.
Tito Okello scored twice as the Bright Stars managed a vital victory away from home, to give them an advantage heading into the corresponding tie.
The two teams played with hands on the wall in the opening half, with no goals after 45 minutes. However, the second half exploded with a six-goal show.
Okello, formerly of Vipers SC of Uganda and Gor Mahia in Kenya broke the deadlock in the 54th minute from the penalty spot before Djibouti equalized just 10 minutes later.
However, the South Sudanese restored their lead in the 68th minute through Toha Rashid.
Okello completed his brace in the 75th minute before William Gama completed the victory in the 89th minute. Djibouti pulled one back deep in storage time, but it wasn’t enough to stop The South Sudanese victory.