Ivory Coast vs Sierra Leone: Nicolas Pepe Shines as The Elephants Settle for 2-2 Draw in Epic AFCON Clash

• Ivory Coast vs Sierra Leone Group E AFCON fixture ended in a four-goal thriller as both teams settled for a 2-2 draw
• The Elephants were unable to hold firm to their advantage as Sierra Leone staged a comeback to ensure the spoils are shared
• Sebastien Haller and Nicolas Pepe were on target for Ivory Coast, with Musa Kamara and Alhaji Kamara scoring for Sierra Leone

Ivory Coast had to settle for a disappointing 2-2 draw with Sierra Leone in their second Group E AFCON clash played on Sunday, January 16, at Douala Stadium.

The Elephants were hoping to secure maximum points against Sierra Leone to confirm their place in the knockout round.

The 2015 AFCON champions kicked off their campaign on a positive note after seeing off Equatorial Guinea in their pool opener.

However, despite taking a comfortable lead against Sierra Leone in their second fixture, they were unable to hold firm to their advantage to settle for a draw.

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Football

Arsenal winger Nicolas Pepe was the man of the match during the tie, with his 65th-minute goal helping Ivory Coast restore their advantage.

Ajax forward Sebastien Haller had earlier scored the opener for Patrice Beaumelle's men before the half-hour mark, with Musa Kamara equalising in the 55th minute.

Ivory Coast looked set to seal all three points, only for Alhaji Kamara to score at the death to ensure the two teams settle for the spoils.

Despite the result, the Elephants remain top of the pool with four points ahead of their last group match against holders Algeria on Thursday, January 20.

Egypt sink Guinea-Bissau

Earlier, Sports Brief reported Mohamed Salah's solitary goal against Guinea-Bissau was all Egypt needed to get their Africa Cup of Nations campaign back on track in Cameroon.

Salah fired his side to victory in the second half of the Saturday, January 15, clash staged at Roumdé Adjia Stadium.

Egypt kicked off their AFCON campaign on a disappointing note after they lost their Group D opener against Nigeria.