Musa Kanu wint met Sierra Leone

The Leone Stars of Sierra Leone marshalled what they described as their "death squad" on Saturday, including nine foreign-based players, for their African Nations Cup qualifier against Gabon. The Gabonese, on the other hand, arrived in the Sierra Leonean capital with just fifteen players instead of the normal eighteen, and only four of them were internationals – two from Portugal and two from France. Play started at exactly 4:30 p.m., with each team playing a different formation: Gabon began with the 4-4-2, while the Leone Stars started off with the 3-5-2. A first chance came in the 5th minute which should have put Leone Stars in the lead, when Sierra Leonean defender No. 3 Mustapha "Pa Saffa" Sama, and the man who is arguably Sierra Leone’s most prolific attacking sensation, Paul "Senegal" Kpaka (Belgium), were both seen going for a header from a John Keister (England) corner kick. But Pa Saffa’s header went over the crossbar. Both teams fielded youthful sides, and the players displayed their skills of artistry and fitness. The 15th minute saw the deflection of No. 11 Lamin Massaquoi’s (Sweden) shot from a cross by No. 8 Alphajor Bah (China). In the 20th minute, Gabon lost a possible scoring chance through a disposition from No. 17 Gibrilla "Gibo" Woobay, thanks to the saving effort of Leone Stars goalie, Ibrahim "Small Attouga" Sesay. Paul Kpaka missed a scoring chance for the Leone Stars in the 22nd minute, as he couldn’t direct his kick right within the penalty spot area. In the 25th minute, "Small Attouga" was again in action, and he made a nice save from a free kick taken by the Gabonese No. 7, Zue Nguena. Both teams displayed good ball possession with stylish dribbling, especially from Leone Stars captain Lamin Conteh alias "Junior Tumbu" from the U.A.E. In the 30th minute, Pa Saffa’s header was saved by Gabonese goalkeeper, Bissafi, from John Keister’s free kick. The 31st minute saw the display of a caution to Gabon’s Francis Koumba (No. 14) – a yellow card for his foul on Alphajor Bah. The Gabonese side displayed good ball possession, with No. 9 Issie Nou making good runs and long passes. The Gabonese maintained possession until the 43rd minute; then in a counter-attack Alphajor’s cross was deflected in the 18-yard box by the hand of a Gabonese defender, resulting in a penalty. In the 44th minute, No. 2 Lamin Conteh took the shot, which was saved by the foot of Gabonese goalkeeper Bissafi. A follow-up by Paul Kpaka found the Gabonese net: Leone Stars one, Gabon nil. The first substitution for the Leone Stars came in the 45th minute with Lamin Massaquoi out and No. 10 Musa Kanu in. The first half ended Leone Stars one, Gabon nil. Fans were not too satisfied with the performance of the Leone Stars, which they described as unimpressive. With both teams seeming reorganised, the second half started with much entertainment from both sides. The 47th minute saw the second yellow card of the match, when Gabon’s Moubamba was cautioned for wilfully handling a Junior Tumbu pass. With good midfield combination, the Gabonese made another impressive attack in the 48th minute with a shot on goal by No.11 Antchoul from a through pass by No.10 Ajissika Aie. This was saved by Leone Stars No. 15 Mohamed Dabundeh. The Gabonese lost another chance through a corner kick in the 51st minute, when No. 18 Moubamba‘s header cleared the crossbar. In the 52nd minute, China-based Alphajor Bah made one of his brilliant runs and hammered home the Leone Stars’ second goal off a through pass by Belgium-based Musa Kanu (Jazhino). Play continued, with the Gabonese creating fruitless scoring chances as their captain Zue Nguena sent his header over the crossbar in the 54th minute. The entertainment continued as the Gabonese displayed good ball possession with one touch passes, building up their attack from defence through the midfield to attack, but they couldn’t just deliver the goals. The Leone Stars on the other hand displayed personal artistry from players like Junior Tumbu, Alphajor Bah and Paul Kpaka, who kept resisting the attention of the Gabonese defenders. In the 62nd minute it was No. 4 Alpha Lansana to the rescue, saving a cross right before the goal mouth from Gabon’s Zue Nguena. The Leone Stars’ second substitution came in the 69th minute, with Alphajoh Bah out for No. 7 Serey Turay. A Gabonese substitution too came in the 70th minute with No. 10 Ajissika out and No. 17 Moulounoni Aie in. The Leone Stars substituted a third time in the 71st minute, with No. 14 Ernest Kamara replacing Mohamed Dabundeh. The Gabonese piled on pressure with more attacks, and won three corners in succession. Their second substitution came in the 82nd minute with No. 4 Nyamat out for No. 3 Nbatchi. In the 85th minute, Paul Kpaka was shown the red card for elbowing a Gabonese defender. Serey Turay (Belay Belay) also received a yellow card three minutes later for tackling from the back. Gabon’s third substitution also came in the 88th minute, with No. 8 Nzigou Shiva Stan out and No. 15 Makaya Antonio in. Two minutes later the referee signalled his final whistle, and play came to an end with the score Sierra Leone 2 and Gabon 0. Fans however were happy that Leone Stars won but not pleased with the overall performance of their team.