The Sierra Leone National Football Team, the Leone Stars, endured a tough 4-1 loss to Ivory Coast in a crucial Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2025 qualifier match on Friday.
The game, held at the Stade Laurent Pokou in Abidjan, saw Ivory Coast take an early lead just three minutes in, courtesy of a strike by former Arsenal winger, Nicolas Pepe.
Sierra Leone fought back and found an equalizer in the 43rd minute through Alhassan Koroma, but it came after Franck Kessie’s missed penalty for the Elephants earlier in the half.
Kessie, however, made amends in the second half, scoring twice in the 51st and 75th minutes to put the game firmly in Ivory Coast’s favor.
A late penalty conceded by the Leone Stars in the 87th minute was calmly converted by Oumar Diakite, sealing the 4-1 victory for the hosts.
With this loss, the Leone Stars face a critical challenge in their upcoming return fixture, scheduled for October 15th at the SKD Sports Complex in Liberia. A victory in that match is essential to keep their hopes alive for qualifying for the 2025 AFCON tournament.
