By Lamin Idriss Conteh (Cazorla)
Sierra Leone U-20, Shooting Stars, drew with Senegal in their opening match of the West Africa Football Union (WAFU) U-20 Championship last Friday at the Stade Lart Dior De Thies, some forty-seven miles from the Senegalese capital, Dakar.
The hosts, Senegal who won the competition last year in Ghana, struggled to get a win in their first match against their rivals in Group A. The visitors were very impressive from start to finish.
Both teams created a couple of chances during the first half of play but they were unable to convert any to a goal. Both Shooting Stars and Senegal were well - organised and determined to get their first win but it ended nil – nil at the break.
The second half of the match was full of action with both teams going on the attack. The visitors broke the deadlock with Abu Kommeh slotting in the first goal on the 55th minute of play. The hosts responded with an equalizer after just 12 minutes of Kommeh's goal. Samba Diallo equalized in the 67th minute of play.
The coach for the Sierra Leone U-20, Abu Bakarr Kamara, said that he was impressed by the performance of the boys. Supporters of the Sierra Leone team in Senegal also expressed their delight and hoped to see the team progress to the next stage of the competition. One of them said, "There is a future in these boys. I believe they can continue the good work and always make mama salone proud."
In a group of three, two teams will progress directly to the semi-final from this stage, and the winner will eventually qualify to play the U-20 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament in Mauritania next year.
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