Teenager Keer Majak starred for South Sudan on Thursday when they trounced Djibouti 4-0 in a 2027 Africa Cup of Nations preliminary round first leg qualifier.
The 19-year-old winger from local club El Merriekh Bentiu scored one goal and created two at the national stadium in the South Sudan capital, Juba.
Majak was the second teenager to impress in an AFCON qualifier this week with 18-year-old Siem Eyob-Abraha scoring direct from a corner for Eritrea in a 2-0 win over Eswatini on Wednesday.
Teng Kuol scored the only goal of the first half after 31 minutes as Djibouti battled to contain the agility and pace of the South Sudanese.
Goals from Bangasi Bakosoro and Peter Maker stretched the lead to 3-0 midway through the second half before Majak completed the rout on 81 minutes.
It was a satisfactory start as South Sudan coach for Cameroonian Cyprian Besong Ashu, a recent replacement for French tactician Nicolas Dupuis.
Djibouti lack an international-standard stadium so they ceded home advantage, allowing South Sudan to play both legs in Juba. The return match is on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Seychelles forced a surprise 0-0 draw with Lesotho in South African city Bloemfontein in another first leg.
A combination of brave defending by Seychelles and poor finishing from Lesotho led to the goalless stalemate.
The result stretched Seychelles' winless run against African opponents to 62 matches. The Indian Ocean nation last celebrated a victory in March 2016 when they beat Lesotho 2-0 at home.
Neither Seychelles nor Lesotho have a stadium approved for international competitions so both legs will be staged in Bloemfontein, with the return match on Sunday.
The remaining three first legs are set for Friday. Aggregate winners after the return matches on Sunday and Tuesday advance to the 48-nation group phase, which kicks off on September 21.