Monroiva – Liberia finally got her first ever victory over Senegal in an African Nations Championship (CHAN) qualifier at the Antoinette Tubman Stadium (ATS) on Sunday, July 28.
LISCR FC’s goal machine, Christopher Jackson, got the match’s only goal with a diving header in the 89th minute after he was left unmarked.
It was also Jackson’s second successive international goal, having found the curtain raiser against Equatorial Guinea in an international friendly, which ended 1-1 in Malabo on 21 July.
Jackson has now scored four goals in six games for Liberia, having scored against Mauritania in Nouakchott on 23 July 2017 and Sierra Leone in an international friendly at the ATS on 5 June 2017.
The visitors dominated the opening 15 minutes of the match but could not beat the defense of the home side.
Liberia was forced to make an early substitution to central back Dirkir Glay due to injury and was replaced by Kemoh Kamara in the 18th minute of the first half.
The local based Lone Star team’s performance was poor throughout the first half up to the second with only three-off target attempts with Christopher Jackson’s shot from close range hitting the side net and Armah Vaikainah’s blowing the ball over the cross bar twice to end the first half goalless.
Back from the dressing room, Lone Star changed formation from 5-3-3 to 4-4-2 bringing on Sam Jackson and Terry Sackor for Isaac Pupo and Farsedu Logan, which resulted into the needed goal from Sam Jackson’s assist.
Chief Patron of Sports, President George Weah, who was in the VIP stands to cheer the team had to leave the stadium with over 30 minutes of play suggesting his frustration in the team’s style of play.
Also in the VIP Stands were LFA President Mustapha Raji, Vice Presidents Sekou Konneh and Wilmot Smith, Sports Minister Zeogar Wilson, Deputy Sports Minister Andy Quamie, Senator Commany Wesseh, a former Sports Minister, and scores of executive committee members and government officials and former LFA officials, including Vice President Musa Shannon to cheer the team to victory.
It was the first victory for Liberia over Senegal and their first meeting in the CHAN qualifiers.
The Senegalese have won eight and drawn five matches in their 13 meetings across the African Cup of Nations and World Cup qualifiers and Amilcar Cabral and CEDEAO Cups.
Liberia lost 5-4 to Senegal on kicks from the penalty mark following a goalless draw in the 2017 West African Football Union (Wafu) Nations Cup in Ghana on 9 September in their last meeting.
Senegal have failed to qualify for the last three CHAN finals in South Africa in 2014, Rwanda in 2016 and Morocco in 2018, having reached the semis in the inaugural edition in Ivory Coast in 2009 and were eliminated in the group stage in Sudan in 2011.
Liberia have never crossed the first stage of the qualifiers and coach Kojo, who begins a Confederation of African Football (Caf) four-match touchline ban on Sunday, has been tasked with ending that curse.
How did CHAN start?
Caf announced CHAN on 11 September 2007 to be played among the best national teams, exclusively featuring players, who are active in the national championships and qualified to play in the ongoing season.
Expatriate players, regardless of where they play, are ineligible.
CHAN was expanded to 16 teams for the second tournament in Sudan in 2011, which was won by Tunisia in the wake of the Tunisian revolution.
Line-ups
Liberia: 16-Prince Wlame (goalie), 4-Alvin Maccornel (captain), 5-Dirkir Glay (15-Kemoh Kamara 10’), 6-Armah Vaikainah,10-Christopher Jackson, 11-Isaac Pupo (19-Terry Sackor), 12-Daniel Woto, 13-Farsedu Logan (7-Sam Jackson), 17-Nuwo Johnson, 18-Ebenezer Solo, 22-Edward Ledlum
Unused substitutes: 1-Alpha Jalloh, 3-Marvin Blapoh, 8-Abdulai Yaya Bility, 20-Varney Dukuly Deputy coach Sam Chebli
Senegal: 1-Pape Seydou Ndiaye (goalie), 2-El Hadji Madicke Kane 4-Djibril Thialaw Diop, 5-Youssou Diagne, 7-Birahim Gaye, 8-Abdoulaye Fall, 12-Khadim Diaw, 14-Djibril Gueye, 15-Alassane Ndao, 18-El Hadji Moutarou Balde, 20-Benoit Toupane
Unused substitutes: 6-Dominique Mendy, 10-Abdoulaye Ba, 11-Albert Joseph Bougazelli, 13-Pape Mamadou Sow, 16-Pape Abdoulaye Dieng, 17-Jean L. Barthelemy Diouf, 21-Babacar Seck
Match officials: referee Abdelaziz Bouh, assistant referee #1 Ba Kalidou Delba, assistant referee #2 Yahia Youssouf, fourth official Mathioro Diabel (all from Mauritania); commissioner Fah Conde (Guinea)