Sierra Leone Surrender Two-Goal Lead in Defeat to Zimbabwe
Sierra Leone’s Leone Stars suffered a disappointing 3-2 defeat to Zimbabwe after surrendering a two-goal lead in their opening Group E fixture of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers on Thursday.
The Leone Stars made a bright start at the El Jadida Stadium in Morocco, taking control of the match by scoring twice within the opening 27 minutes.
Sierra Leone opened the scoring in the seventh minute when Alie Conteh rose highest to head home a well-delivered cross from Sallieu Tarawallie.
The Leone Stars continued to press forward and were rewarded with a second goal in the 27th minute, with Tarawallie finding the back of the net to give Sierra Leone a 2-0 advantage.
However, the two-goal cushion was not enough to secure a positive result as Zimbabwe mounted a strong second-half comeback.
The Warriors scored three times after the break to overturn Sierra Leone’s advantage and claim all three points, leaving the Leone Stars to rue their failure to capitalise on their strong start.
The result represents a difficult beginning to the competitive tenure of Coach Da Rosa, whose technical team was taking charge of Sierra Leone in a competitive fixture for the first time.
Despite the defeat, Sierra Leone showed attacking intent and created a promising platform during the opening stages. However, defensive lapses and the inability to protect their lead ultimately proved costly.
The Leone Stars will now look to recover when they face Equatorial Guinea in their second Group E qualifier on September 28 in Cameroon.
Equatorial Guinea will also be seeking its first points after suffering defeat to the Democratic Republic of Congo in its opening fixture.
Sierra Leone will therefore be aiming for a positive response in Cameroon as the Leone Stars continue their campaign for a place at the 2027 AFCON tournament.
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