At 00:00 Beijing time on January 17, the second round of the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations group stage, the championship favorite Côte d'Ivoire played against Fish Belly Sierra Leone. In the first half, Casey missed the point and Alai opened the scoring; in the second half, Moussa Kamara equalized, Nicola Pepe and Haji Kamala drew. In the end, Côte d'Ivoire drew 2-2 with Sierra Leone, breaking out of the big cold.
In the 12th minute, AC Milan star Casey took the penalty and Sierra goalkeeper Mohammed Kamala flew over the ball to save the ball from the bottom line to save the goal. Facing defending champions Algeria in the last round, the 22-year-old young goalkeeper made seven saves to help the team draw 0-0 and grab a point. When he received the trophy of best player of the game after the game, Mohammed Kamala burst into tears. In this round, against an equally powerful opponent, he once again continued his miraculous performance.
In the 25th minute, Zaha sharply slashed, Alai easily pushed the goal, Côte d'Ivoire led 1-0!
In the 55th minute, Buya Toure crossed diagonally, Moussa Kamala dialed the ball laterally, and after a small step adjustment, his left foot pumped into the net! 1-1, Sierra equalised! After scoring, Moussa Kamala burst into tears on the spot.
In the 65th minute, Sangaray scored and Nicola Pepe scored the iconic left-footed arc on the edge of the penalty area! 2-1, Ivory Coast once again surpassed the score!
During the second reading stage, a dramatic scene appeared. Ivorian goalkeeper Badra Ali made a fatal mistake, Kaulk took the opportunity to grab the ball and knock it on his teammates, and Haji Kamala pushed the shot! 2-2, Sierra equalised! Badra Ali was also injured with the save and was carried off a stretcher, with captain Ollie also temporarily acting as goalkeeper.
In the end, facing the former African Cup of Nations 2 champions Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone, ranked 108th in the world, once again created a miracle! At the moment when the final whistle sounded, the whole Sierra Leonean team flocked to the middle circle, indulging in revelry, as if winning the championship.
Sierra Leone is one of the poorest and most backward countries in the world, with a total population of only 8.05 million. Football is like the spiritual food that this country can rarely comfort. After the draw, the small African nation rejoiced as people poured into the streets, singing and dancing.
According to media reports, the Sierra Leonean national team had to take a steamship to Cameroon, the host country of the African Cup of Nations, due to insufficient air ticket costs. But it was such an unknown fish belly team that forced two consecutive championship favourites to equalize.