By: Alusine Rehme Wilson
As the Leone Stars of Sierra Leone are set to battle their Togolese counterparts at an international friendly to be played at the Mardan Sports Complex in Aksu, Antayla in Turkey at 16:00 hours GMT, John Keister’s men will be aiming to get their second ever victory or at least their second draw against “the Sparrowhawks”.
Thursday’s meeting of the two nations will be their maiden meeting for an international friendly encounter and Sierra Leone’s trainer who has lined-up 23 players that consists of eight home based and fifteen foreign based players with 10 of the 23 players in camping eyeing their debut appearances for Leone Stars, says “we’re in Turkey for three friendly matches and our desire is to make our nation proud at the same time continue to be respected in terms of Football.”
In all meetings between the two nations since, the Togolese Senior Men’s National team has over the years proved too tough for their Sierra Leonean counterparts.
The Leone Stars has been defeated five times, drew once and wining only one of their last eight meetings against the Togolese. Both nations have never face each other in a football showpiece since they last met in Freetown during a 2007 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers that was won 0-1 by the visitors.
Previously, both teams have only faced each other in AFCON qualifiers and the Togolese have since announced their dominance Sierra Leone.
In their first ever meeting, Togo had defeated Sierra Leone 3-0 on 14th November, 1982.
Two weeks later in Freetown picked up all three points in a 0-1 win, played to a barren 11 years later, lost 2-0 on 3rd September, 2000, won 2-0 in 2007, 3-1 on 24th March, 2007 and 0-1 on 2nd June that same year.
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