The Leone Stars of Sierra Leone were held to a 1-1 draw in a friendly encounter against Benin.
Sierra Leone and Benin settled for a 1-1 draw in an international friendly at Stade Khouribge in Casablanca, Morocco on Saturday afternoon.
The match was part of Sierra Leone’s preparations for their 2026 World Cup Qualification round of matches that are slated to commence in November.
In the 32nd minute of the first half, Odense Boldklub forward, Mohamed Buya Turay put Sierra Leone ahead after he dribbled past the Benin defender to score his first goal for the Leone Stars since his debut in 2018 against Ethiopia.
Benin kept searching for an equalizer, but Sierra Leone managed to hold onto their lead, heading to the break with a 1-0 lead.
Despite the pressure from Benin, the Leone Stars goal man, Ibrahim Sesay was brilliant in goal, making a couple of saves to maintain a decent result. Sierra Leone also displayed an excellent piece of defending till late in the match when Benin got their equalizer.
The additional time paid off lately as Cedric Hountondji slotted home the equalizer for Benin in the 90+8 minute, leveling the scores 1-1.
The draw wasn’t the best result for the fans, but they think it was a good start for Amidu Karim who started his job as the provisional head coach of Leone Stars a few weeks ago.
Sierra Leone will play against Somalia in their next friendly match on Tuesday 17th October 2023.
