216
 |
| Ivory Coast anticipate ‘big challenge’ against Sierra Leone in AFCON |
Ivory Coast face a confident Sierra Leone team on Sunday after the Leone Stars held defending champions Algeria to a surprise goalless draw in their Africa Cup of Nations opener.
Two-time champions The Elephants made a positive start to their AFCON campaign too – defeating Equatorial Guinea 1-0 and are seeking a further victory that could see them securing their last-16 spot.
The last meeting between the two teams in AFCON saw Ivory Coast winning 4-0 in Tunisia 1994.
Both Mali and Gambia enjoyed 1-0 wins in their opening Africa Cup of Nations games and will meet each other on Sunday in Limbe.
Mali defeated Tunisia 1-0 in a highly controversial game.
Zambian referee Janny Sikazwe’s errors sparked chaos when he twice blew for full time too early in the game.
There was even an attempt to restart the game about 30 minutes after it finished to play out the time Sikazwe missed, but Tunisia refused to get back on the field.
Meanwhile, Gambia’s win was less dramatic but still remarkable – a win in their first ever AFCON match, Ablie Jallow’s strike giving the Scorpions a 1-0 win over Mauritania.
Another win on Sunday see Tom Saintfiet men are on their way to a historic second round appearance, though the coach is keen to keep his squad calm.
”We have to be realistic. We will fight. Out tactics will be ready. We will do everything we can to defend our beautiful colours, but start dreaming? That’s not our job now,” Saintfiet told the media on Saturday.
