Salah guides Egypt to beat Guinea-Bissau and rekindle hope

Salah guides Egypt to beat Guinea-Bissau and rekindle hope

Egypt secured a narrow 1-0 victory over Guinea-Bissau to revive their chances of a last 16 place in TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations, Cameroon 2021.

Talisman and captain Mohamed Salah scored the lone goal to give the Pharos their first points of the tournament following their disappointing defeat to Nigeria.

The Liverpool forward volleyed past Djutus keeper Mendes with his left foot from Amro El Soulia’s clever pass over the top on 69 minutes.

The Pharaohs were forced to work hard for their victory as Guinea-Bissau put up a brave performance against the record AFCON champions in Garoua.

Egypt survived a late scare as Guinea-Bissau had a late goal disallowed following on field video assistant referee review.

Mama Balde fired past the impressive El Shenawy having earlier impeded Omar Abdelwahed in the build-up.

Egypt came into the match on the back of a lacklustre performance against Nigeria and needed a win to rekindle their hopes of progressing. They started brightly with Salah crashing the outside of the Guinea-Bissau post inside two minutes.

Zizo and Omar Marmoush both saw their efforts came of the post as Egypt look for the second goal against the spirited Bissau Guineans.

The Djutus had chances of their own through Moro Cassama, Jorge Fernando and Fali Cande but they failed to beat El Shenawy, who helps Egypt to their first victory of the tournament.

Egypt move to second Group D three behind Nigeria who earlier booked their knockout stage place with a convincing 3-1 over Sudan.

What they said

Mohamed Salah (Man of the Match)

We have a new coach and new generation. After the defeat against Nigeria, we had to rearrange ourselves. We will fight in this tough competition and believe in our chances and where we can go.

Carlos Queiroz (Coach, Egypt)

This win is for Egyptian fans who believed in their team. After four days of pressure the players has shown their strong character and rebounded in a good way. We deserved to win by a bigger margin, but luck was not on our side. We will be better game by game.

CAF – African Football News – Follow us on Twitter @football_sierra On Facebook & Instagram: Football Sierra Leone.

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Winner of Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast tie set for Afcon knockout

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Ivory Coast top of Group E after their 1-0 win over Equatorial Guinea on Wednesday, whilst Sierra Leone impressive goalless draw with holders Algeria has set up a great Japoma showdown between the two West African nations this Sunday.

The match will kick at 4 pm GMT+ 1 on Sunday, January 16, 2022. The Japoma Stadium in Douala, Cameroon, will host the contest.

Their last Afcon match was back in 1994 when Joël Tiéhi scored a hattrick, Tchiressoua Guel scored the other as Sierra Leone suffered a 4-0 thrashing.

This time, another Afcon win for the Elephant will see them reach the knockout stages but face a buoyed Sierra Leone side as the Africa Cup of Nations group stage continues this weekend.

A Sierra Leone triumph surely will increase their chances to make the continental round of sixteen for the first time in their history – A draw will still mean a chance as one of the best losers worst-case scenario.

Sierra Leone started their campaign with an impressive goalless draw against holders Algeria and must produce a similar performance against Les Éléphants here.

Over the last three decades, Cote d’Ivoire has never lost against Leone Star, but Sierra Leone is ready to defy all odds on Sunday while the Ivorians expected that their unbeaten run will continue here. The last meeting between the two nations saw them play to a 1-1 scoreline in Ivory Coast.

The Ivorians will not want to drop points in this game as they face reigning champions Algeria in their final group stage fixture on Thursday.

A reminder that the top two teams of each group will qualify, along with the four best third-placed teams. Sierra Leone will have to do two key players. They are Osman Kakay and David Sesay, both being tested positive for covid-19, the SLFA has said.

Osman Kakay was pivotal against Algeria, and it is unclear whether Randers striker Alhaji Kamara, who sustained an injury during the Algeria draw, will be a match fit.

Connect with us @football_sierra, on Facebook/ Instagram Football Sierra Leone, the writer @bittar32 in Douala, Cameroon Contact bi****@*********************ne.net.

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Football enthusiast and owner of Politico Newspaper Umaru Fofanah reckon it was sensible to bring along the oxygen behind Sierra Leone national, the fans to the Cup of Nations in Cameroon.

Fofanah, who was dancing with Sierra Leonean fans before and after the Leone Stars famous draw with holders Algeria in Douala on Tuesday, was responding to questions by this medium.

“The fans are the oxygen the players breathe – they need them, they need all the chantings from the stands, all the support, it brings out special adrenalin in them. So, the importance of the fans cannot be overemphasised, which is why, in football matches, home games matter, because that is where the real fans are. The majority of the fans are, as supposed to playing away, where your fans are easily eclipsed,” Fofanah told FSL News in Douala.

He added, “Fans are very important, and I am sure the footballers themselves can tell you that. The cheering they were hearing for them contributed tremendously toward the very spectacle performance they put up.”

After Sierra Leone impressive display, Fofanah now looks forward to the Ivory Coast game and Leone Stars chances to make the round of sixteen.

“I hope and truly believe that if our guys put up the same performance they did against Algeria. I saw the Ivory Coast match as well. And I don’t think Ivory Coast were convincing that day when they had their opening match against Equatorial Guinea.

“I strongly believe if our boys put up the same performance they did against Algeria, we definitely will have the maximum points against the Ivory Coast. Agreed that it is not far away from Cameroon. There are lots of Ivorians here, I watched their match there were lots of Ivorians, but we are mobilising.”

A win against Ivory Coast will surely mean Sierra Leone will reach the Continental showpiece knock-out stages for the first time in its history.

Connect with us @football_sierra, on Facebook/ Instagram Football Sierra Leone, the writer @bittar32 in Douala, Cameroon Contact bi****@*********************ne.net

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After being named Man of the Match for his composure and excellent display against the African Cup of Nation defending Champions Algeria, Sierra Leone keeper Mohamed Kamara says he was pleased and pleased with team spirit. 

Kamara, 22, made seven great saves as he helped to frustrate Algeria in Sierra Leone impressive goalless draw in their Group E opener at the Japoma Stadium on Tuesday afternoon.

The East End Lions keeper was pivotal for the West Africans against a top Algerian side. He denied Ramy Bensebaini and Baghdad Bounedjah in stoppage time.

Speaking to Football Sierra Leone in Douala, Kamara praised God for his guidance on the pitch.

“Glory is to God for great team performance. I’m happy, and all the praises belong to Allah.

“This is something I have been working on for many years, and against Algeria, God made it easy for me. This performance did not come as a surprise to me because I have been working on myself.”

Coach John Keister will be hoping Kamara will maintain his form against the Ivory Coast on Sunday at the same venue.

The Leone Stars search of making the round of sixteen of the continental showpiece for the first time in its history.

Elsewhere In the group, on Wednesday, Ivory Coast defeated Equatorial Guinea 1-0 to go top of Group E.

Connect with us @football_sierra, on Facebook/ Instagram Football Sierra Leone, the writer @bittar32 in Douala, Cameroon Contact bi****@*********************ne.net

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The Leone Stars, without a doubt, were the underdogs coming into the third African Cup of Nations opener against defending Champions Algeria, who defeated Senegal 1-0 to win the 2109 continental showpiece.

When answering questions from the media during the post-match interview, Keister noted that he was pleased with the result and that his team maintained their game plan.

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“I don’t want to highlight a single player even if the goalkeeper (Mohamed N Kamara) was elected man of the match. This is a collective performance, and we will continue to do so. We have to fight and grow this group. And since our arrival, we have been working to move forward. 

There’s no point in having a great game on Tuesday and letting the other games slip away. It’s at the end of the tournament that we’ll know if we’re the surprise. We take game after game .”

The second Group E game is being played on Wednesday in Douala when Equatorial Guinea meet the Ivory Coast.

Sierra Leone next outing in the tournament is against Ivory Coast at 4 pm on Sunday, live on Sky Sports Football. In the other Group E fixture, Algeria battle Equatorial Guinea at 7 pm on Sunday, live on Sky Sports Mix.

Connect with us @football_sierra, on Facebook/ Instagram Football Sierra Leone, the writer @bittar32 in Douala, Cameroon Contact bi****@*********************ne.net

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Defender Osman Kakay has given his verdict after Sierra Leone goalless draw with holders Algeria in their Afcon Group E opener on Tuesday in Douala, Cameroon.

Speaking to the media after his African Cup of Nations debut, Queens Park Ranger defender Osman Kakay admitted that he was pleased with his contribution and delighted with the result.

The Leone Stars played a good game against holders Algeria and Kakay was quick to acknowledge that Sierra Leone can cause an upset with the right mentality.

“First of all, it is a great honour to represent my nation at a major tournament feels even better knowing we are back after 26 years. We all know the teams are good, but in tournament football, you cannot fear anyone,” Kakay told FSL News in Douala.

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The Queens Park Randers full-back was pivotal to Sierra Leone’s qualification for the Africa Cup of Nations – the 23-year-old is now focused on helping the Leone Stars to a successful Afcon campaign.

Connect with us @football_sierra, on Facebook/ Instagram Football Sierra Leone, the writer @bittar32 in Douala, Cameroon Contact bi****@*********************ne.net

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