by FSL News | 25 Apr, 2018 | International, National Sport News Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone opened their 2018 WAFU U20 tournament with a 2-1 win over Guinea Bissau at the Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex in Liberia on Tuesday evening.
Alusine Koroma, who was named Man of the Match, fired Shooting Stars of Sierra Leone ahead in the 29th min from a Bankole Cole assist.
The young Stars impressively dominated possession against the team that eliminated them from the Total U20 Africa Cup of Nations U20 qualifiers a week ago.
US-based Rodney Michael Jr made it 2-0 in the 43rd min from Thomas Kamara cross.
Sierra Leone kept on piling the pressure until Thomas Kamara shot hit the woodwork before the break.
After the Break, Guinea Bissau came out stronger putting some pressure on the Stars as they created two one on one situation but was both denied by the Sierra Leone Ghanaian based stopper Sylvanus Parkins.
Shooting Stars NBallie Kamara received a second yellow in the 48min and was sent off for an intentional handball according to the referee from Guinea.
Coach Ken Tabi was forced to make an urgent substitution by sacrificing goal scorer Rodney Michael Jr for defender Mohamed Sesay.
Despite with 10 men, Sierra Leone kept composure.
Guinea Bissau came close in the 68 min when Cissee Diaby shot hit the woodwork, this brought life into the Guineans attack.
G-Bissau scored in the 73min from a rebound free kick. However, Coach Ken Tabi side held on for their first win in three matches under the Cameroonian.
Sierra Leone Alusine Koroma won the Man of the Match Award after an impressive performance from the young lad from Lunsar.
Sierra Leone Coach post-match:
“The team is a young and has been together for a month now we have gone through the bad times, now we came out with the results.
“I believed in my boys and the performance has shown we are here for business.”
“We want to thank WAFU for given us the opportunity to showcase our talents as for four years no Domestic league in our country but with such tournament, we can see more stars emerging in Africa Football.”
Today matches we will see an all-French affair as Senegal will lock horn with Mali at 4:00 pm, whiles Gambia will take on Guinea, Conakry at 7 pm.
By Our African Correspondent in Liberia Prince Scott – Follow the writer @PrinceArmaniSc2 @football_sierra
by FSL News | 24 Apr, 2018 | African News
This year’s West Africa Football Union (WAFU) Under-20 tournament will kick off today at the Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex, with Liberia facing a tricky contest against the Ivory Coast in the opener.
Ivory Coast is replacing Cape Verde who earlier withdrew from the tournament.
In Group A. Liberia, the host nation will welcome Ivory Coast in the competition opener 16:00 GMT before Sierra Leone battles it out with Guinea Bissau three hours later.
Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, and Mali and all participating teams arrived safely to honour their various fixtures in the WAFU U20 Liberia.
Senegal and Cote d Ivoire have been tipped by African Pundits favourites to win the tournament.
All group encounters are expected to be played between the 24th and the 29th of April before a two-day break for semi-finals matches, which will be played on May 2.
According to schedule, the final will be played on the 5th of May at the SKD stadium and all visiting teams will depart the capital of Liberia on Sunday, May 6.
“I can confirm all teams have arrived in the country to kick-start the tournament. Yesterday I was able to receive Senegal, Cote d Ivoire, Mali and all teams have been placed at their respective hotels,” Andy Quamie Liberia Deputy Minister of Sports to our correspondent.
“As a government, we want to use sports as one organ to rebrand our country that why the government is in 100% support to ensure this tournament is a success,” he said.
West Africa Football Union Under-20 tournament (WAFU) schedule
By Our African Correspondent in Liberia Prince Scott – Follow the writer @PrinceArmaniSc2
by FSL News | 23 Apr, 2018 | Players Abroad News
FC Zurich defender Umaru Bangura has been ruled out for the rest of the season because of a Knee injury.
Sierra Leone skipper suffered an internal ligament rupture in the right knee and will miss the final of the Swiss Pokal Cup.
FC Zurich will take on BSC Young Boys on Sunday, May 27th, 2018, at 14:00 in the “Stade de Suisse” (the home stadium of BSC Young Boys).
Bangura, 30, was taken off in the 82nd minute in their 4-0 thrashing over St. Gallen on Wednesday and was out of their 2-1 defeat to FC Luzern at the weekend.
Bangura together with Yassin Maouche where both injured and they will not be available in the final round of the season in the Super League.
The club will now have to do without Bangura and midfielder Maouche, who also tore a hamstring in the right thigh. The Franko-Algerian had just returned from a several-month injury break.
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by FSL News | 21 Apr, 2018 | International, National Sport News Sierra Leone
Guinea Bissau will battle Nigeria’s Flying Eagles in the next stage of the Total U20 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers after eliminating Sierra Leone 1-0 on aggregate at the Bo Stadium on Saturday.
Host Shooting Stars failed to win at home, giving Coach Emiliano Te’s men the chance to face Nigeria’s Flying Eagles in May this year in the Race to Niger 2019.
Italy’s Sampdoria striker João Cláudio Gomes Ricciulli scored the only goal for the visitors in the first leg in Bissau at the 24 de Setembro Stadium.
The skipper was not available today but they managed to hold on to a goalless in Sierra Leone.
This is the fifth defeat in recent years for Shooting Stars and has been eliminated from this competition mostly at the preliminary stage.
The Gambia was the last to eliminated Sierra Leon after the young Scorpions recorded a convincing 4-0 aggregate over Shooting Stars in the two legs in the race to Rwanda in 2017.
The young Djurtinhos will host the Flying Eagles in the next round clash on May 11, 12 or 13 with the return leg in Nigeria a week later.
The final tournament will be hosted by Niger in 2019 with the four semi-finalists qualifying for the 2019 FIFA U20 World Cup
Shooting Stars Latest Results
21.04.2018 CAF U20Q Sierra Leone 0-0 Guinea Bissau
01.04.2018 CAF U20Q Guinea-Bissau 1-0 Sierra Leone
23.04.2016 CAF U20Q Gambia 2-0 Sierra Leone
02.04.2016 CAF U20Q Sierra Leone 0-2 Gambia
24.05.2014 CAF U20Q Ghana U20 2-1 Sierra Leone
10.05.2014 CAF U20Q Sierra Leone 0-2 Ghana
25.04.2014 CAF U20Q Guinea Bissau 0-1 Sierra Leone
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by FSL News | 21 Apr, 2018 | African News
Guinea Bissau U20 skipper, João Cláudio Gomes Ricciulli, (Pictured) is out of the Total U20 Africa Cup of Nations preliminary second leg qualifier.
The Sampdoria Primavera attacker scored the only goal at the Estadio Nacional 24 de Setembro in the capital city of Bissau in the first leg two weeks ago.
Coach Emiliano Te’s men are in Sierra Leone with a slender 1-0 advantage but very vital ahead of this afternoon contest at the Bo Coronation Ground, South of Sierra Leone.
Reports from Bissau has stated the Sampdoria B striker is not in Sierra Leone for the second leg match because of the Guinea Bissau Football Association (FFGB) request came too late for his club to release Coach Te’, key man.
“The Italians did not permit him for the match that will take place in Sierra Leone,” the report stated.
However, the young Djurtinhos technician added four new players to his side.
Sporting Club de Portugal defender, Jampier Gomes Ricciulli
Centre-forward Dino Vaz Dias from Fafe de Portugal
They are Sporting Club de Portugal defender, Jampier Gomes Ricciulli, the twin brother of (scorer in Bissau – João Cláudio Gomes Ricciulli), centre-forward Dino Vaz Dias from Fafe de Portugal, Luciano Joaquim, who plays for Porto’s de Bissau and Assumane from Sporting Clube de Bissau.
Sierra Leone on the other hand – Coach Tabi still has Rodney Michael, who played for the Santa Barbara Soccer Club from 2014-2017 to called upon and 18-year-old Benevolence Kargbo, who signed for Sporting club de Esmoriz last year August is uncertain. Both players did not start in the Bissau capital. We’re still waiting for the final team selection.
The aggregate winner between the two nations will face Nigeria’s Flying Eagles of Nigeria.
The Flying Eagles will then play away to the overall winners of this first round clash on May 11, 12 or 13 with the return leg in Nigeria a week later.
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Sierra Leone | Highlights -