By Bullen Bala
King News 11th September Juba – South Sudan’s coach, Nicolas Dupuis, never feels pressure. He takes pride in his team’s performance despite a winless run since taking over the Bright Stars last year.
He praised his players’ effort against Hugo Broos’ Bafana Bafana side, though they had been edged 3-2 with a last-gasp goal from Thalente Mbatha at the Juba National Stadium on Tuesday afternoon.
“I’m happy with the performance of my players today; they really fought hard despite conceding a last-minute goal, which can happen with any team,” Dupuis said
“Everyone can agree with me that South Africa is one of the best and strongest teams in Africa,” he added.
Dupuis expressed excitement after the Bright Star boys showed remarkable resiliency in rallying twice before Mbatha’s late heroic goal.
Dupuis was hired to prepare the team for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier and 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
He took over from Italian Stefano Cusin after his two-year contract ended in 2023.
South Sudan is placed in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers Group B alongside Senegal, DR Congo, Mauritania, Togo, and Sudan.
Dupuis is remembered for guiding Madagascar to the Quarter-Finals of the 2019 TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), which was held in Egypt.