Sierra Leone sink Ethiopia to keep World Cup hopes alive

Sierra Leone pipped Ethiopia 2-0 in Monrovia, Liberia to keep their 2026 FIFA World Cup hopes alive with a victory in Group A from qualifying for the African region. The Leone Stars came into the tie after earning a hard-fought point against Guinea-Bissau.

It was a dull affair between the two nations due to the hot temperature at the Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex. The home side was the better team in terms of attacking while the Walyas opted for a more cautious approach.

Scoring chances were very scarce during the interval. Mustapha Bundu struck wide before Sierra Leone U-20 star Momoh Kamara opened the scoring just before the interval. Kamara scored with a tap-in after being fed by Sallieu Tarawallie.

The Walyas came out in search of the equalizer but lacked creativity. Sierra Leone continued to put up a fierce defense and counterattacked. Mohamed Turay hit the crossbar from a free-kick effort.

The home side doubled their lead at the stroke of full time through individual brilliance from Alhassan Koroma. Koroma ran from his own half, beating a few Ethiopian players to score a superb solo goal. Ethiopian goalie Abubaker Nura left his post to try to head a corner kick, but the ball ended up in his own net.

Sierra Leone move within range of Burkina Faso for second place in the group. Burkina Faso will host Egypt later on Tuesday in Ouagadougou to complete the eighth round of matches for the group with Egypt currently holding a five-point lead over the Stallions.

Group A Table

1. Egypt- 19 points (7 matches played)
2. Burkina Faso- 14 points (7 matches)
3. Sierra Leone- 12 points (8 matches)
4. Guinea-Bissau- 10 points (8 matches)
5. Ethiopia- 6 points (8 matches)
6. Djibouti- 1 point (8 matches)

Sierra Leone are third with 12 points, whilst Ethiopia are officially out of the qualifiers after collecting six points in Group A.

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