The Monkey's Off His Back: Sierra Leone Puts It All Together In the Classic

The Freetown triumph was hard-earned

The Sierra Leone players couldn't have asked for more. Losing 3-2 in the first leg of the preliminary round of the 1996 African Cup of Nations, they needed to beat Guinea by two goals to advance to the group stage. Sierra Leone, making just their second appearance in the competition, had never won a game at the finals. They had lost their only previous match 3-0 to the Ivory Coast in 1994. Furthermore, Guinea were a strong team, ranked 16th in Africa by FIFA at the time. But on this day, Sierra Leone were not to be denied.

How The Leone Stars Made History

Led by a team of overachieving domestic stars, the Leone Stars (as they are known) turned the tables on their favored opponents. They took the lead through Musa Bangura before Kanfory Lappia added a second with just 15 minutes to go. The goals sent Freetown, the Sierra Leone capital, into raptures. As the final whistle blew, the home team had achieved their first victory in the African Cup of Nations. Despite losing 1-0 in the group stage to the eventual champions South Africa, there was no doubt that Sierra Leone had made a mark on the competition.

The players who made history

The team that achieved this historic victory was made up of players from a variety of Sierra Leonean clubs. The goalkeeper was Brima Kamara, who played for East End Lions. The defense was marshaled by Ashoke Bangura of Mighty Blackpool and Amadu Bah of Old Edwardians. The midfield was anchored by Sorie Sesay of Kallon FC and Mohamed Kallon of Old Edwardians. The attack was led by Musa Bangura of Mighty Blackpool and Kanfory Lappia of East End Lions.