At 21:00 Beijing time on January 11, the first round of the African Cup of Nations Group E burst out of the cold, and Sierra Leone, which ranked only 108 in the world, drew 0-0 with defending champion Algeria, creating a miracle.
Sierra Leone is located in West Africa and has a population of 7.97 million. It is worth mentioning that Sierra Leone is listed by the United Nations as one of the least developed countries in the world, with a relatively low standard of living and an unsurpassed health of its people. Under this premise, Sierra Leone football naturally cannot develop.
At present, Sierra Leone ranks 108th in the world, far less than the national football team ranked 74th. And in the African football arena full of strong teams, Sierra Leone is the standard fish belly. Sierra Leone is only the third time to compete in the African Cup of Nations, the last time is back to 1996, the most familiar Sierra Leone players for Chinese fans are buya Toure, who currently plays for Henan Songshan Longmen.
However, Sierra Leone's signing luck is average, and the first match of the group stage faces the defending champion Algeria, which has a large number of players who play in the five major leagues, such as Mahrez, Benrahma, Slimani and Mandy, and the gap between the strengths of the two sides is relatively large.
The post-match data showed that Algeria had a 67% possession rate, shots 19-9 on goal, 8-1 shots on target, but the score was 0-0! Sierra Leone lost 0-2 to Algeria 26 years ago, and now it has scored 1 point in the battle, which is a huge improvement.
The final whistle blew and several Sierra Leonean players burst into tears, while goalkeeper Mohammed Kamala knelt on the ground and roared in celebration.
It is worth mentioning that Chelsea general Rudiger also updated social media for the first time, he showed off the Flag of Sierra Leone, with the caption: "Proud and proud of them!" ”
Contest Review ——
In the 11th minute, Haji Kamala blocked the opponent's long-range shot with his hand in the penalty area, and the referee saw it clearly, but did not make a penalty, and Sierra Leone escaped the disaster.
In the 48th minute, Haji Kamala received a cross, unloaded the ball on his chest in the penalty area and then fired a left-footed shot that hit Mandy and refracted into the net. Haji Kamala opened his arms to celebrate, only to find himself offside and the goal was ruled invalid.
In the 52nd minute, Mahrez picked out a pass, Brahimi missed a single knife and a volley was saved by the Sierra goalkeeper. Slimani wanted to make up for the shot, but the opponent confiscated the ball first, and did not give him the opportunity to make up for the knife.
In the 66th minute, after a breakthrough inside the Bellelli penalty area, a cross was deflected by Bendbucca from close range and missed a good opportunity to score in mid-air.
In the 74th minute, Bellelli was kicked in the process of breaking through and fell into the box, but the referee still chose to ignore it.
In the 85th minute, Attal crossed from the right and Benrahma's unguarded volley was deflected and Sierra escaped the dead.