Monrovia – Liberia lost 2-0 to Guinea in a 2017 Africa Cup of Nation under-20 qualifier at the Antoinette Tubman Stadium (ATS) in Monrovia on Sunday.
The 20th edition of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) U-20 Nations Cup will be held in Zambia. The visitors carried 75-percent ball possession with several shots on target from start to end.
They maintained their mature ball possession until they scored in the 40th minute through striker Ibrahim Sylla after defender Titus Yeah lost control of the ball outside the penalty box.
Liberia were quick to lose control of the ball and such problem gave their opponents the green light to increase the pressure for more goals with several terrific shots on target but goalkeeper Emmanuel Dweh denied them from scoring on several occasions.
Goalkeeper Sekuba Camara will always remember his side’s win against Liberia because his midfielders and strikers really helped to keep him relax throughout the match.
Feeling the heat, Liberia introduced defender Madas Seweler for defender Dumaru Fofana but it couldn’t reduce the pressure on them because the visitors headed by Captain Ibrahim Sumah followed by midfielder Mohammed Fofana, strikers Mamadi Barry and the goals scorer Sylla, kept the pressure.
Liberia picked-up little pressure against their opponents in the middle of the second half after striker Terrance Tisdell went in for Ketu Jerbo.
Tisdell really proved his present in the game to head coachChristopher Wreh and members of his technical staff through his tactical ball possession and distribution with few shots on target but none could materialize due to poor finishing touches.
Things went out of hand against the home side in the 62nd minute after Sylla hit in the second goal through a spectacular shot that totally overpowered goalkeeper Dweh.
Liberia assistant coach Oliver Makor attributed their defeat to the several blunders caused by his defense and forward line but urged Liberians to stand by them as they struggle to put together a better squad for the junior team.
“We are felling sad for the game that our under-20 played because we were expecting victory but football is always like that. Sometime you expect to win and sometime you expect to lose but we want for the Liberian people to encourage the national team because is not an easy tax to put together a national team and we are struggling to put the team together,” said Makor.
Guinea head coach Mandjou Diallo expressed happiness for their victory but promised that they won’t take their opponents for granted in the return leg.