The Sierra Leone national football team lost its International friendly match today against Morocco at the San Pedro stadium in Cote d’Ivoire.
The match which ended 3-1 in favour of the Moroccans is part of their preparations for the upcoming AFCON, set to take place in Cote d’Ivoire on January 13. The defeat came after Sierra Leone lost their last match against against the AFCON host 5-1 on Saturday.
With the Atlas Lions seeking to leave a good first impression ahead of AFCON, Moroccan striker Youssef En-Nesyri opened the scoring for his team in the 30th minute. Five minutes later, winger Sofiane Boufal scored a second goal, while Sierra Leone managed to score just once during the first half.
Ten minutes after the start of the second half, En-Nesyri scored his double, to end the game triumphant 3-1.
Throughout history, the two teams met on five occasions where Morocco finished victorious four times, with one game ending in a draw.
The Atlas Lions will compete in Group F alongside Tanzania, DR Congo, and Zambia at the highly anticipated African showpiece.
Morocco will embark on its new championship journey on January 17 to play its first group stage match against its Tanzanian counterpart. It will then face DR Congo on January 21 and Zambia on January 24.
Having won a single title in 1976 and being finalist the last time in 2004, the Atlas Lions eagerly seek to bring home a second title.