By Ibrahim Karim Bangura (Tanko)

The national men’s football team, Leone Stars, have narrowly secured a crucial 1-0 victory against Ivory Coast during their return leg match in the AFCON 2025 Qualifiers, played on Tuesday at the SKD Stadium in Liberia.

The match, held at a spirited venue, showcased the little effort and skill of the Leone Stars as they pursued recovery following a challenging campaign.

The single goal of the match came in the 85th minute from Amadou Bakayoko, who scored with an audacious header, sending the home team into joy.

Sierra Leone moves up to third place in their qualifying group, now sitting on 4 points from 4 games. Ivory Coast still leads the group with 9 points out of 4 games, followed by Zambia with 7 points and Chad with only 2 points.