By Hassan Osman Kargbo
The Elephants of Ivory Coast has thrashed the Sierra Leone’s men team, Leone Stars by 4-1 in AFCON 2025 Qualifier.
This tough encounter for Leone Stars played on Tuesday 11st October 2024 in Ivory Coast.
The game began with Nicolas Pépé opening the scoring for Ivory Coast just 3 minutes in the match. Despite the early goal, Leone Stars managed to equalize through Alhassan Koroma before the end of the first half, bringing hope to the Sierra Leonean side which saw the match ended 1-1 in the first half of played.
In the second half, Ivory Coast regained control, with Franck Kessié scoring twice, once in the 51st minute and again in the 76th minute. Oumar Diakité sealed the victory for the Ivorians with a goal in the 87th minute, securing a 4-1 win.
Leone Stars’ lack of depth and experience in key areas showed as they struggled to keep up with the Ivorians, whose high-caliber squad dominated the second half. Sierra Leone will now prepare for the return leg, which is set to take place in Liberia, as they hope to bounce back and improve their chances in the AFCON 2025 qualification campaign.
Because of this poor result of Leone Stars, many have called on the exit of Head Coach Amadu Karim. The return leg would play in Liberia.
