AFCON (Q): Somalia coach Ali Nur— Second leg will be a final

Somalia national team head coach Yusuf Ali Nur stated that his side should have defeated Mauritius during Friday’s preliminary round, first leg encounter from 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying. The Ocean Stars, as they are nicknamed, were the better side in Mozambique but failed to win the crucial tie.

 

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Ali Nur lamented the missed chances in the goalless draw against Mauritius. “The game ended goalless. We came to win. We had maybe four or five opportunities to score a goal, but the game ended 0-0. We now focus on the return leg,” said the Somali trainer.

AFCON hopes at stake in 2nd leg

The Ocean Stars now have to overcome Mauritius away from home in the second leg if they wish to secure a place in the AFCON group qualifiers. Ali Nur added that the second leg will be treated as a final showdown for his side:

“We seek to qualify in the second leg because that game is like a final. We hope to do it. This is football—anything can happen. Today at home we drew, so we focus on the second leg. We will try our best to win the upcoming games.”

Somalia defeated Bahrain in a friendly match in 2025, and they will be hoping to replicate that result when they face Mauritius in the second leg. They have never qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations finals in their entire footballing history. Their opponents, Mauritius, qualified once in 1974 when Egypt hosted the tournament.