Sierra Leone continue to slide down FIFA ranking

Sierra Leone continue to slide down FIFA ranking

Sierra Leone continue their slide down in latest ranking

Sierra Leone maintained their slide down in latest Fifa ranking.

  • Sierra Leone have plummeted a place down from 119th to 120th in the latest FIFA ranking announced on Thursday.
  • After more than six months of non-active football matches due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Sierra Leone was part of international friendly games played in October.
  • Leone Stars who ranked 120th suffered back to back defeat 2-1 to Mauritania and 1-0 against Niger respectively in preparation for three-time African champions Nigeria.

Sierra Leone highest ever rankings came in August 2014 as they were ranked 50th globally and 7th in Africa.

In Africa, Sierra Leone stands as the 31st best team ahead of their doubleheader against the Super Eagles of Nigeria.

Meanwhile, Nigeria is now 32nd in the latest global rankings for October. Last month, Gernot Rohr’s men were rated the 29th best team in the world.

However, they dropped three places as a consequence of their contrasting results in the October international fixtures. The Super Eagles lost 1-0 to reigning African champions Algeria, before settling for a 1-1 draw against Tunisia’s Carthage Eagles.

Belgium, 2018 Fifa World Cup winners FranceBrazilEngland and Portugal occupy the first to fifth positions respectively.

The next Fifa/Coca-Cola World Rankings will be published on 26 November 2020.

Pyramids’ book CAF Confed Cup final spot after late goals

Pyramids’ book CAF Confed Cup final spot after late goals

  • Pyramids secured a comfortable 2-0 win over AC Horoya in the 2019/20 CAF Confederation Cup semifinal match at the Mohamed V Stadium on Tuesday night.
  • The victory saw the Egyptian club advance to the final where they will face Moroccan side RS Berkane, while Guinea’s Horoya were eliminated from the competition.

Pyramids controlled the match from the start with Omar Gaber pulling the strings from the midfield for the Egyptian side.

The first real chance of the game came 17 minutes into the encounter after the Horoya defence was exposed.

However, Horoya goalkeeper Moussa Camara was alert and he produced a magnificent save to deny Mohamed Farouk.

Camara was the busier of the two keepers as he was called into action seven minutes before the half-hour mark and he gathered Gaber’s long-range shot.

The last goalscoring opportunity of the first-half fell for Gaber after some good work by his teammate Eric Traore in the 37th minute.

However, Gaber’s effort was cleared off the goal-line and the score was 0-0 at the interval following a first-half which was dominated by Pyramids.

Pyramids continued to dominate possession after the restart, but the Guinean champions’ defence looked solid and compact as they contained Ante Cacic’s side.

Croatian coach Cacic decided to make a change in the 73rd minute as winger Ibrahim Hassan replaced striker John Antwi.

Hassan made an immediate impact as he netted in the 74th minute with a low shot which went through Camara’s legs to make it 1-0 to Pyramids having being set-up by Gaber.

It was soon 2-0 to Pyramids when Farouk set-up Abdallah El-Said, who cut inside before beating Camara with a brilliant finish.

Attacker Alseny Camara Agogo was introduced in the closing stages of the game by Horoya coach Lamine N’Diaye and he scored in the 86th minute, but the goal was disallowed for offside.

Ultimately, the match ended in a 2-0 victory in favour of Pyramids, who contained Horoya in the dying minutes of the match.

Pyramids (0) 2 (Hassan 74′, El-Said 75′)

Horoya (0) 0

Pyramids: M. Soliman, A. Tawfik, A. Ayman, A. Gabr, M. Hamdi, N. Emad, O. Gaber, M. Farouk, A. El-Said (I. Adel 90’+4), E. Traore, J. Antwi (I.Hassan 73′)

Horoya AC: M. Camara, L. Fofana, A. Mangue, B. Samassekou, G. Asante, D. Nikiema, M. Sylla, A. Wonkoye, O. Mandela (H. Makambo 67′), D. Camara (A,C. Agogo 77′), B. Sakin.

SOURCE: Super Sports

Egypt to host Total CAF Champions League final

Egypt to host Total CAF Champions League final

  • This year’s Total Champions League final will be played in Egypt that is according to the Confederation of African Football, (CAF).
 
“Egypt won the organization of the important event that will be held on Nov. 6,” CAF said in a statement. 
 
The draw was held at 11:30 local time to choose the final stadium between Egypt and Morocco, CAF Confirmed.
 
The first and second-leg games of the semis will be held on Oct. 17-18 and Oct. 23-24 respectively. The final is set for Nov. 6.
 
Egyptian sides, Ahly and Zamalek, will face Morocco’s Wydad de Casablanca and Raja de Casablanca respectively.

In case two teams from the same country reached the final, it would be played in their respective country.

Global football has been affected by Covid-19 pandemic since March. Football was suspended due to precautionary measures to control the spread of the pandemic. 

 

Spartak Moscow sign Nigeria’s Victor Moses on loan

Spartak Moscow sign Nigeria’s Victor Moses on loan

  • Nigerian international and Chelsea midfielder Victor Moses has joined Russian side Spartak Moscow on a season-long loan.
  • The move is the 29-year-old’s sixth loan spell away from Chelsea since 2012 
 
The Russian side announced that they have agreed on a deal with Chelsea for loan transfers with an option to buy Nigerian star, Victor Moses.
 
The former  West Ham United attacker has had spells on loan with  Fenerbahçe in Turkey, and Italian giants Inter Milan last season.
 
Moses has not played for Chelsea in more than two years, and this is his sixth spell away from Stamford Bridge after he arrived in 2012.

FC Zurich defender Bangura, two others test positive for Covid-19 in Niger

FC Zurich defender Bangura, two others test positive for Covid-19 in Niger

Sierra Leone skipper and FC Zurich defender Umaru Bangura, fitness Coach Philli Kor and Head of Communications for the National Sports Authority, Eric Batilo Fomba have all tested positive for Covid-19 in Niger.

The Sierra Leone Football Association have confirmed the sad news in a release on Wednesday. 

The SLFA says they are monitoring the situation as Bangura, who was substituted in 2-1 defeat in Mauritania due to injury was not part of the Niger friendly on Tuesday.

“I am ok, but we are on quarantine in Niger,” Bangura re-confirmed in a brief message to FSL News.

The match against Niger was Sierra Leone second in four days as they prepared to face Nigeria next month.

Having lost 2-1 in the first friendly game behind closed doors at the Stade Cheikha Boydie, Nouakchott Mauritania on Friday, John Keister’s men suffered another 1-0 second successive defeat – this time at the Stade Général Seyni Kountché, Niamey.

Sierra Leone has only won once in their last six matches. Their last victory was against Liberia in a World Cup qualifying match in Freetown back in September 2019.

Head coach John Keister has been presented with a big task at hand to rally his troops for Nigeria in next month’s 2022 race to Cameroon.

Nigeria will host Sierra Leone at the 22,000 seated Stephen Keshi stadium when the qualifiers for the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations next month before travelling to Freetown for the return fixture to be played at the Freetown Siaka Steven Stadium.

The Super Eagles are leading Group L after their opening two victories against Benin and Lesotho. The Squirrels of the Benin Republic standing second followed by Lesotho.

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