You’ve got to respect the dedication at least
Alhaji Kamara endured a moment to forget as he celebrated scoring the opening goal against Algeria in Sierra Leone’s opening game of their Africa Cup of Nations tournament, only for the goal to be ruled out mid-celebration.
Sierra Leone defended brilliantly to secure an important 0-0 draw against Algeria, withstanding a number of attacks throughout the match to begin their campaign with a point.
John Keister’s side put in a heroic effort to make it to half-time level against the reigning Africa Cup of Nations champions, and they thought – for a brief second – that they had even taken the lead against them after the break.
Some good build-up play saw Sierra Leone move the ball onto the left-wing, where an inviting cross was met by Kamara.
While he didn’t quite catch his strike as planned, the Randers forward somehow managed to bundle his effort past Raïs M’Bolhi in the Algeria goal.
However, and as Kamara sprinted off to celebrate in the style of Bafétimbi Gomis (you know the celebration I mean), the linesman raised his flag for offside.
OFFSIDE ❌
Alhaji Kamara nearly gives Sierra Leone the lead in the second-half
Watch live on Sky Sports Football 📺 pic.twitter.com/07h5lxB9PL
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) January 11, 2022
As all of his teammates ran back to the halfway line to defend the free-kick, Kamara realised that his goal had been ruled out.
Whether he was confused or embarrassed, his face certainly told how he was feeling after the decision was made.
Sierra Leone – who find themselves in 108th position in FIFA’s rankings – had Mohamed Kamara to thank, with the goalkeeper making a number of smart saves to deny several of Algeria’s stars – including Manchester City forward Riyad Mahrez on a couple of occasions.
While Keister’s men saw very little of the ball – and registered just one shot on target – they have made a positive start to their campaign.
With games against the Ivory Coast and Equatorial Guinea to come, Sierra Leone have certainly given themselves a fighting chance at progressing from the group.
Related links:
- Burkina Faso defender escapes certain red card 38 seconds into first AFCON match
- League of Ireland star mistook AFCON call-up for LinkedIn spam message
- Ian Wright: AFCON coverage is tinged with racism
