PAYNESVILLE, Montserrado – In the second encounter on the West African Football Union’s opening day, Liberia’s neighbor, Sierra Leone, ensured they picked up their first three points after a hard fought 2-1 win over Guinea Bissau.
The Sierra Leoneans featured a team that has proven to be one of the best in the tournament. They began the match as the better side by creating early chances that they were unable to convert to goals.
They were prevented from finding the back of the net until the 28th minute when Marampa Stars Football Club midfield maestro, Alusine Kromah, scored the opener. The young Leone Stars held on to their one goal lead until the 43rd minute when they made it two.
Roney Michael scored the Junior Leone Stars’ second goal to go to the break with a two-goal lead.
Scoring two goals in the first half, it appeared like Sierra Leone would go on to score more, as Cote d’Ivoire did against Liberia, but the second half of the match produced a different football game, with Guinea-Bissau coming back stronger.
Unfortunately for Sierra Leone, they were reduced to ten men just three minutes in the second half after Bali Kamara was shown a second yellow card.
Guinea-Bissau made use of the one-man advantage by playing harder for the equalizer. Their push for a goal came in the 74th minute when Luciano Landa scored from a rebound. The two-goal deficit was reduced to one with 16 minutes to full time.
Despite playing with ten men, Sierra Leone ensured they walked away with the three points by preventing Guinea Bissau from scoring again. The match ended 2-1 in favor of Sierra Leone as Guinea-Bissau joined Liberia as another Group A loser.
With the 3-0-win, Cote d’Ivoire leads Group A with three points and three goals while Sierra Leone sits in second with three points, but with a goal difference. Guinea Bissau sits in third while host Liberia sits bottom of the table with three goals against.
Featured photo by T. Kla Wesley Jr.
