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Kenya will now face Uganda with Tanzania and South Sudan as other opponents in the penultimate stage of the youth tournament.
Gor Mahia’s Benson Omalla scored in Kenya’s 2-1 win against Sudan in the ongoing Cecafa U20 Championship at Sheik Amri Abeid Stadium on Friday.
With the victory, the Rising Stars have now qualified for the semi-finals thanks to goals from the newly recruited Harambee Star and Fortune Omoto.
Omoto gave Kenya the lead in the 28th minute before Sudan leveled in the 85th minute with a goal from Al Gozoti Nooh. Omalla gave the Rising Stars a late victory when he passed through Sudan’s backline and fired a low shot into the lower right corner in the 90th minute.
The goal is the second for the former Western Stima striker, who also had two assists in his first game. Ronald Reagan and Enock Wanyama and Omalla scored against Ethiopia in the first match and that means Kenya is undefeated so far.
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The group match between Kenya and Sudan was their second meeting in a matter of weeks since they met in a friendly in Nairobi prior to the Cecafa tournament.
The team led by Stanley Okumbi finished as the leader of Group B and will face their arch rivals, the Hippos of Uganda, in the first semi-final on Monday.
In another match, South Sudan topped Burundi with a score of 4-0 in the second match of Group B which was also played at Sheik Amri Stadium. The big win saw the young Bright Stars finish as the best losers and qualify for the penultimate stage.
William Kundu and Khamis Atari gave South Sudan a 2-0 lead before the half-time break, while an own goal from Japhet Ntunzwenimana made it a triple for them. Phillip Biajo scored the fourth and gave South Sudan their first biggest win and second clean sheet in the tournament after they held Uganda to a goalless draw in the opener.
They have four points, the same as Uganda, but a lower goal difference meant they would finish second and face the hosts and reigning champions Tanzania in the second semi-final.
South Sudan, Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda will fight for the two positions that will guarantee the nations the available places in the 2022 African Cup of Nations U-20.
The final and the Cecafa play-off will be played on December 2.
