Upset in Douala! Sierra Leone rally to hold Ivory Coast to 2-2 draw
The Leone Stars of Sierra Leone showed character and determination as they fought back to hold Cote d’Ivoire to 2-2 in their Group E second round matchat the on-going Africa Cup of Nations 2021.
The Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire were only two minutes away from getting the maximum points, but the Leone Stars capitalized on goalkeeper Badra Ali Sangare’s error and made it 2-2 through substitute Alhaji Kamara.
It was a tense moment for Cote d’Ivoire in added time as their skipper Serge Aurier was forced to go in goal after goalkeeper Sangare was carried off injured.
Coach Patrice Beaumelle’s team started on a high attacking in numbers, but the Sierra leone defenders stood firm.
After 10 minutes the Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire earned a penalty after Wilfried Zaha was knocked down in the box by defender Osma Konate. But the Sierra Leone goalkeeper Mohamed Nbalie Kamara was up to the task when he reacted well to stop Franck Yannick Kessie’s spot kick placed in the bottom right corner.
After 22 minutes Sebastien Romain Teddy Haller made it 1-0 for Cote d’Ivoire.
After recess the 1992 and 2015 AFCON champions Cote d’Ivoire intensified their attacks for more goals, but it was Sierra Leone who leveled matters after 55 minutes.
With just one minute of added time to the final whistle Cote d’Ivoire’s goalkeeper Sangare failed to get hold a back pass before Kamara made no mistake sliding it in the net.
It was all celebrations for the Sierra Leone team after the final whistle.
Cote d’Ivoire remain on top of the Group with four points, while Sierra Leone are second on two points.
