Sierra Leone’s native attacker, Rodney Michael, would have liked his full international debut to come in more positive situation, nonetheless, he was proud to be on the scorecard against Ivory Coast.
On Saturday, the 24-year-old midfield attacker recorded his first cap goal against a problematic Ivorian side at the Laurent Pokou Stadium.
He gave the Leone Stars a consolation as the Elephant of Côte d’Ivoire won by 5-1 but Michael brimmed with joy to have netted a goal for his homeland.
“I’m pleased to get the opportunity to make my full debut and to score my first international goal for Sierra Leone. It was even more special that I was able to do [that] against such a huge footballing nation like Ivory Coast. Regrettably, the result was disappointing, but we will continue working to turn things around and, hopefully, make Sierra Leoneans smile next time,” he said.
Rodney was introduced against Guinea- Bissau in match day-six of the Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in the final minutes of the game.
However, Sierra Leone’s next friendly match against the current best team in Africa, Morocco, will be played behind closed doors.
Football fans, however, at home, were very unhappy over the “ignominious defeat” suffered by Sierra Leone men’s team against Ivory Coast last Saturday.