S’Leone Beat Benin Squirrels to Reach First AFCON in 25 Years

S’Leone Beat Benin Squirrels to Reach First AFCON in 25 Years

Striker Kei Kamara scored a first half penalty as Sierra Leone secured a place at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) for the first time since 1996, following a 1-0 victory over Benin in Conakry yesterday.

The qualifier had twice been postponed due to coronavirus-test issues.

Kamara converted from the spot after 19 minutes and the Leone Stars held on for a famous victory to join the other 23 teams at the finals in Cameroon in January.

Sierra Leone needed to beat Benin – who required just a point – to seal second place behind Group L winners Nigeria.

The tie was moved to Tuesday from Monday after Covid-19 issues saw the game delayed just ahead of kick-off.

Both teams were at the stadium ready for the fixture when Sierra Leone were informed that six of their players had returned positive Covid-19 tests.

All the players involved were re-tested on Monday with only goalkeeper Ibrahim Sesay returning a negative result on Tuesday.

It meant that the Leone Stars had a depleted squad of 20 players, including two goalkeepers, for the game.

The Sierra Leone delegation complained that in the build up to Monday’s game they had been informed by a Confederation of African Football official that the whole squad were negative after tests carried out in Guinea.

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