The Ivory Coast will not be the fourth team to qualify for the last 16 of the Africa Cup of Nations on Sunday. The Elephants were indeed held in check by Sierra Leone (2-2).
The Ivory Coast are in a tight spot ahead of their final Group E match against Algeria at the AFCON. The Elephants were indeed hung by Sierra Leone (2-2). Patrice Beaumelle's men were holding on to victory until the last minute. But a monumental mistake by goalkeeper Badra Ali Sangaré cost the Ivorians dearly.
Côte d'Ivoire dominated the match. After a great start, they were awarded a penalty in the 12th minute after a foul on Wilfried Zaha. The Sierra Leone goalkeeper Mohamed Camara nevertheless stopped Franck Kessié's shot. A shot that apparently lacked power. The Ivorians had many chances. Kessié failed to convert a Wilfried Zaha pass in the 13th minute.
SIERRA LEONE GOING CRAZY! 🤯🇸🇱#TotalEnergiesAFCON2021 | #AFCON2021 | #TeamSierraLeonepic.twitter.com/bOsq1N5JE0
— #TotalEnergiesAFCON2021 🏆 (@CAF_Online) January 16, 2022
It was not until the 25th minute that Sebastien Haller gave his side the lead after a Zaha pass.
The determined Sierra Leoneans resisted the Ivorian onslaught. They even took advantage of the gaps in the Ivorian defence to create some chances in the first half. Buya Touray missed his one-on-one with Badra Ali Sangaré in the 38th minute. They did manage to equalize in the second half with a superb shot from Musa Kamara (55th). Nicolas Pépé gave Côte d'Ivoire the lead again with a flat-footed shot from a pass by Sébastien Haller (66th). The Ivorians were holding on to victory until Ali Sangaré made a huge mistake which benefited Aladji Kamara who equalized in the final minutes (90+3). The two teams are now evenly matched.
With four points, the Ivorians are at the top of pool E. Sierra Leone is in second place with two points while waiting for the results of Algeria vs Equatorial Guinea at 19:00 GMT.
