The first match ever between the national teams of Sudan and South Sudan ended 0-0 at the CECAFA Cup in Ethiopia on Wednesday, marking a new era of friendly competition between the two neighbors.

BBC Sport termed the match the first ever “Sudan derby”, reporting that the South Sudanese team was happy with the result, which puts the team in second place in the Group C standings after Malawi.

"We are happy that we have picked a point against a strong Sudan side," said South Sudan's goalkeeper Juma Ginaro after the game.

South Sudan is 2-2-1 in its last five matches, including one win each against Djibouti and Equatorial Guinea, one draw and one loss against Mauritania and this draw against Sudan. The team now finds itself within reach of qualification for the quarter-finals of the CECAFA tournament.

On the other hand, Sudan is currently in third place with just a single point and will need a win against Djibouti to have any chance to advance to the next stage. Sudan lost their first match 2-1 to Malawi, whom South Sudan will face on Friday.

For more sports news in both Arabic and English follow Tamazuj Sports on Facebook. Current group scores for the CECAFA tournament are available in the image below.