Experienced Curtis Davis impressed in his Sierra Leone debut as Karim's Men narrowly defeated Djibouti

By: Alusine Rehme Wilson 

L-R: Augustus Kargbo and Emmanuel Samadia celebrating their latest achievement over Djibouti.

Goals from 39-year-old Curtis Davis and 24-year-old Augustus Kargbo secured a historic 2-1 victory for the Leone Stars of Sierra Leone  over Djibouti in the World Cup 2026 qualifiers.

Davis, who was born in England but recently received clearance to represent Sierra Leone, made his debut for the national team under coach Amidu Karim during a match day-3 match held the El-Abdi stadium in Morocco on Wednesday evening.

The experienced Davis wasted no time in making an impact by scoring the opening goal in the 12th minute, courtesy of a brilliant assist from Emmanuel Samadia.

His early goal boosted the confidence and teamwork of the Leone Stars, who controlled possession for much of the first half.

However, a miscommunication between the Sierra Leone goalie Mohamed Kamara and his defenders led to a handball by Samadia in the penalty area, giving Djibouti a chance to equalize through 27-year-old Gabriel Abeiku Dadzie's coolly converted spot kick in the 35th minute.

With the score level, Djibouti increased their team confidence after the equalizer, sending both teams into halftime with the score tied but it in the second half, the Leone Stars came out strong once again, with defender Osman Kakay linking up well with forward Augustus Kargbo, a partnership that led to Kargbo scoring the winning goal in the 51st minute, securing a crucial victory for Sierra Leone in the Group-A qualifier.

Forward Amadu Bakayo almost found the back of the net in the 60th minute, but his attempt was blocked by Djibouti's experienced goalkeeper Sulait Luyima. Just seven minutes later, Daniel Kanu replaced Bakayo, while Sullay Kai Kai made way for Alpha Bedor Conteh. 

Yet, the physicality of Djibouti forced the Sierra Leone coach to make two quick substitutions in the 79th and 88th minutes. Augustus Kargbo, Mustapha Bundu, and Alusine Koroma were replaced by Rodney Michael, Abu Dumbuya, and Ibrahim Sillah, reinforcing the defense and ultimately securing the crucial victory in the ongoing 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

Speaking to me after the match, the Sierra Leone coach Amidu Karim commended his players for their performance, stating that "In our move to qualify our nation for the World Cup for the first time, every win matters," adding that the upcoming match against Burkina Faso is their next focus. 

"We now have to briefly rest, and resume preparation to secure another victory in Bamako on Monday when we play Burkina Faso," he ended.

Despite the triumph over Djibouti, Sierra Leone currently occupies fourth place in their group with four points, alongside Guinea Bissau and Burkina Faso in third and second place respectively while Egypt leads the group with seven points, and a win for coach Karim's Men in their upcoming match would further solidify their path to securing a spot in the 2026 World Cup, which will be co-hosted by Canada, Mexico, and the United States of America.

Sierra Leonean supporters celebrating after Leone Stars win over Djibouti.