AFCON 2021: Sierra Leone are the dark horse for the Super Eagles to avoid in the Round of 16

Sierra Leone put up another valiant display as they held Ivory Coast to a 2-2 draw in the second round of games in Group E. The Leone Stars started their AFCON 2021 campaign with an impressive goalless draw against Algeria and now followed with an even better one against Ivory Coast.

Ivory Coast dominated the proceedings early on and Wilfred Zaha won a penalty which Franck Kessie took but was saved by Sierra Leone’s impressive goalkeeper, Mohamed Kamara.

Zaha continued to be heavily involved and played in Sebastian Haller who coolly converted to give them the lead and wrap up a dominant first half for Ivory Coast.

Sierra Leone roared back in the second half, Musa Kamara (one of four starting Kamaras for Sierra Leone) fired them level 10 minutes after the break. The joy was short-lived though as Nicolas Pepe put Ivory Coast back in front with a beautifully curled effort just 10 minutes later.

No one could have predicted the drama that followed late on in the game, Sierra Leone equalised in the 93rd minute after Alhadji Kamara (another one of those) benefited from a shocking error by the Ivory Coast goalkeeper, Ali Sangare.

The late equaliser sparked scenes of wild jubilation by Sierra Leonians on the pitch and in the stands.

Coming into the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, Sierra Leone were not anyone’s pick as dark horses, in fact, they were expected to finish bottom of Group E. But after two games against the two biggest teams in the group, Algeria and Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone remain unbeaten with two points in hand, sitting third on the Group E table.

As it stands, Sierra Leone have a chance to top the group if they beat Equatorial Guinea and Algeria beats Ivory Coast in the last round of group stage matches. 

The performances and unprecedented results against Algeria and Ivory Coast have brought Sierra Leone mainstream attention. Fans of African football have had to sit up and take notice of a team whose most notable player is Steven Caulker, an ex-Tottenham youngster who had stints on multiple Premier League teams including Liverpool.

Nigeria defeated Sudan 3-1 to guarantee themselves the top spot in Group D which means they will play against one of the third-placed teams in Groups B, E or F.

Sierra Leone are in Group E and could finish third if they draw against Equatorial Guinea which would make them a potential opponent for the Super Eagles in the Round of 16.

Based on those resolute performances against Algeria and Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone would prove to be a potentially difficult opponent for Nigeria.

It is worth remembering that the last time Sierra Leone played against Nigeria on November 13 2020, they created fireworks. The Super Eagles raced into a 4-0 win in the first half in Benin and were on course for an easy win until the incredible happened.

The Leone stars came back to equalise 4-4 thanks to a brace from Alhadji Kamara including the late equaliser just as he did against the Ivory Coast in their latest game.

Sierra Leone have improved in leaps and bounds since that game and that is evident from the results at AFCON 2021. Although Nigeria have improved since then too, they would still rather not face a potential banana peel so early on.