Sierra Leone started poorly in Friday’s Group G qualifier against the African Champions, Ivory Coast, suffering a 4-1 defeat that further dented their qualification chances.
Nicolas Pepe scored for the home side in the 3rd minute at the Laurent Pokou Stadium. The Ivorians had a chance to double their lead when the South African referee awarded them a penalty, but the skipper Franck Kessié missed the spot-kick, hitting the crossbar in the 37th minute.
Sierra Leone found a way to get back into the game after head coach Amidu Karim made two changes, bringing on Hindolo Mustapha and Mustapha Bundu.
Against the run of play, Hindolo Mustapha set up Alhassan Koroma in the 43rd minute to draw parity for the visitors, and the first half ended 1-1.
In the second half, the home side intensified the pressure, and the skipper scored with a clever header from Kessie in the 51st minute
After a challenging moment in the game, Sierra Leone’s goalkeeper, Mohamed Kamara, rushed out, missed a loose ball, and fouled the player with a harsh tackle, resulting in another penalty for the Ivorian attacker in the match. Franck Kessié scored a well-taken penalty, marking his second goal of the evening and bringing the score to 3-1.
The Ivorians further extended their lead when Oumar Diakite scored from the spot in the 87th minute. This marked the third penalty of the evening, as Sierra Leone made another defensive mistake. The Ivorians maintained their composure and held on to their lead.
As a result, they maintain their 100 per cent record with three wins out of three, standing on nine points in the group.
Coach Amidu Karim’s team must avoid another defeat when they welcome Ivory Coast for the second leg of the doubleheader on October 15 at the Samuel Kanyon Doe Stadium in Monrovia, Liberia.