South Sudan: Jonglei’s top football team losses to visiting E. Equatorians

July 29, 2012 (BOR) – The Star Football club of Jonglei State in South Sudan was defeated 3-0 on Sunday by Volcano Football Club of Eastern Equatoria State, bringing disappointment to over 2000 of its supporters who attended the match at Bor Stadium of the state’s provincial capital.

Volcano FC scored twice in the first half before adding the third goal in the beginning of the second half. The visiting team controlled much of the game and could have scored even more goals if it was not the Star’s goalkeeper Alier Deng who saved his team from several attempts.

The home side hopes for a consolation goal were dashed when the referee ruled as offside a goal they scored in the second half. The Star FC will travel to Torit, the provincial capital of Eastern Equatoria, for the return match in early August.

The coach of the winning team, Robert Joseph, expressed his happiness with the result casting the game as “a nice moment” whereas his counterpart, Thomas, gave his players a chin up stating “We traveled a long distance and it is good that the players maintained the skills learnt during the training,”

Jonglei State’s minister of youth, culture and sport, Baba Maden, said that an entry fee of 1 South Sudanese pound was collected from over 2000 people who attended the match as a “demonstration that the games are not free of charge”

Meanwhile, the coach of South Sudan national team, Zoran Djordjevic, who attended the match said he was there as part of his effort to identify quality players in the country.

Djordjevic praised players from both sides, urging them to improve their performance in order to win chances of qualifying for national teams.

“It’s a very good chance for each player to demonstrate his quality and
talent,” Djordjevic told reporters after the match. “Of we course for players for senior team, under-20, under-19, under-17 and Olympic game and I think some players have greater future,”

Djordjevic, a Serbian, was named last month as the maiden coach of South Sudan’s national team.

South Sudan became the 209th and newest member of the world’s governing football body known as FIFA on 25 May 2012, ten months after it gained independence from Sudan.

(ST)
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