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The Uganda National U17 Football team, the Cubs have advanced to the semi-finals of the 2023 U17 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers in Ethiopia.
This is after they dispatched South Sudan 4-1 in a game played at Abebe Bikila Stadium in Addis Ababa on Thursday afternoon.
Nkoola Arafati netted a brace while Patrick Ssembuusi and Abubakari Walusimbi as Uganda secured their second victory of the tournament. The Cubs defeated Burundi 4-0 in their first game of the qualifying tournament on Monday afternoon.
To the game on Thursday, Nkoola put the Cubs ahead in the 24th minutes when he was set up by Richard Okello.
Ssembuusi doubled Uganda’s advantage in the 37th minutes after he collected the ball from Walusimbi to rocket the ball past the South Sudanese goalkeeper James Samuel.
At the stroke of halftime, Walusimbi made it for three for Uganda with a sublime effort from outside the box after South Sudanese defenders failed to clear a teasing Hakim Wandera’s corner.
Five minutes into the second half, Nkoola completed his brace in incredible fashion when he held off three of his markers to put the ball past goalkeeper Samuel to make it 4-0.
South Sudan pulled a goal back in the 67th minute through Felix Marial who was first to react on Mario Albano’s freekick that had rattled the woodwork and came back into play.
With the 4-1 victory, Uganda advance to the semi-final after winning both of their group B games
While South Sudan will have to beat Burundi in their remaining group B game to stand a chance of advancing to the semis.
The two finalists from this tournament will qualify for the 2023 U17 AFCON finals in Algeria.
