Thomas Kojo has secured his first victory as interim coach of Liberia’s national team.
Kojo’s locally-based Lone Star squad defeated their Sierra Leonean counterparts 2-1 in the first leg of the African Nations Championship qualifiers at the Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex.
He was appointed interim coach following the recent resignation of Mario Marinica, with his mandate running until December 2024, including crucial matches against Togo and Algeria in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
The Lone Star got off to a strong start, opening the scoring in the third minute with a superb free-kick by Lawrence Kumeh.
Sierra Leone equalized 19 minutes later, as Soffian Kalokoh capitalized on a defensive error by Liberia to score in the 22nd minute. Liberia regained the lead in the 58th minute through an own goal by Alpha Kiabia.
The game turned in Liberia’s favor shortly after, as Sierra Leone was reduced to 10 men when goalkeeper Francis Koroma was shown a red card for handling the ball outside the 18-yard box to stop a William Gibson effort.
Despite the numerical disadvantage, Sierra Leone continued pressing for an equalizer. Their efforts earned them a penalty in the fifth minute of added time after Liberian left-back Sabastin Teclar handled the ball to prevent a potential goal, resulting in his immediate red card.
However, Sierra Leone’s Sallieu Tarawallie missed the penalty, much to the relief of Coach Thomas Kojo.
The return leg is scheduled for Friday, November 1, 2024, at the same venue. Liberia needs to avoid a 2-0 defeat to advance to the next round, where they would face Senegal.
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