Sierra Leone clinch second spot in Nigeria’s group to qualify for AFCON

Sierra Leone finally claimed the 24th and final spot in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations after beating Benin Republic 1-0 in Conakry, Guinea on Tuesday.

The match was twice postponed over Covid-19 controversy but it finally went ahead on Tuesday.

Kai Kamara scored the game’s only goal to send his country to their first AFCON since 1996.

Kamara netted from the spot after 18 minutes to give Sierra Leone a vital lead that they kept till the final whistle.

The Leone Stars finished second in Group L behind the Super Eagles to claim their ticket to Cameroon for the AFCON billed for January 2022.Sierra Leone ended up with seven points to finish just ahead of Benin Republic.

The Squirrels of Benin had the same number of points (seven) as the Leone Stars and both sides had the same head-to-head results (each winning 1-0 at home), but Sierra Leone qualified on better goal difference (0 compared to Benin -1).

The Sierra Leoneans owe their qualification to a crucial point they got against Nigeria in Benin City in November when they rallied back from 4-0 down to earn a miraculous 4-4 draw against their much more accomplished hosts.