Spanish La Liga Star Turns to Goalkeeper at AFCON as Drama Unfolds in Ivory Coast vs Sierra Leone Battle

Spanish La Liga Star Turns to Goalkeeper at AFCON as Drama Unfolds in Ivory Coast vs Sierra Leone Battle

Ibitoye Shittu
updated at April 12, 2023 at 7:54 PM
In this article:
CAF Africa Cup of Nations logo
CAF AFCON
Africa
  • Ivory Coast on Sunday night, January 16, were forced to a 2-2 draw by Sierra Leone in African Cup of Nations tie
  • Goalkeeper Badra Sangare got injured before full time after slipping and former Spurs star Serge Aurier became goalie
  • As things stand now in Group E, Ivory Coast are still topping with four points after two games played so far

Serge Aurier who plays for Villarreal in the Spanish La Liga on Sunday night, January 16, turned to a goalkeeper while featuring for his nation Ivory Coast at the ongoing AFCON in Cameroon.

There were serious drama in the encounter between Ivory Coast and Sierra Leone which ended 2-2 as Arsenal star Nicolas Pepe scored the second goal for his country.

Serge Aurier
Ivory Coast star Serge Aurier in action. Photo: ISSOUF SANOGO
Source: Getty Images

Having won their first game at the ongoing AFCON, Ivory Coast went into the encounter against Sierra Leone with the aim of winning and pick the ticket for the knockout stage.

But the battle against Sierra Leone was not an easy one for them as they allowed their opponents to score late equalizer in the match.

Who are the goalscorers in this game?

Sebastien Haller scored the first goal for Ivory Coast in the 25th minute, but Musa Kamara restored parity for Sierra Leone in the 55th minute.

Nicolas Pepe restored the lead back for Ivory Coast in the 65th minute after benefiting from an assist created by Sebastien Haller.

How did Serge Aurier turn to goalkeeper?

According to the report on Daily Star and Daily Mail, Ivory Coast goalie Serge Aurier ended up in goal for the Ivory Coast after the pitch caused an injury to their goalkeeper Sangare.

Badra Ali Sangare was injured as the ball slipped from his grasp while collecting it in the final minute of stoppage time, with Alhaji Kamara tapping into an empty net to equalize.

Nicolas Pepe shines as the Elephants settle for 2-2 draw in epic AFCON clash

Earlier, Sports Brief had reported how 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.

Authors
Ibitoye Shittu photo
Ibitoye Shittu
Editor- Local Desk
Tags
Nigeria