Lonestar Go Down in Dakar

By Danesius Marteh


Dakar—Senegal were shocked by an early Francis Forkey Doe’s goal in the second minute of a 2014 World Cup qualifier with Liberia but the Teranga Lions fought back to win 3-1 at the Leopold Sedar Senghor Stadium in Dakar.

Doe made light work of Abdoulaye Ba having been connected by Dioh Williams of BK Hacken in Sweden to find the curtain raiser.

It was a perfect return for the Malaysia-based striker who wore the armband in his last game when Liberia drew 0-0 with Niger in an international friendly at the Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex on August 14, 2011.

As well as the Terengganu FA player, his supporters will have reasons to argue that his selection wasn’t a mistake as he was one of the stand-out performers of the day.

Liberia could have made it two when captain Anthony Laffor, who had the ball, was attacking two defenders along with Williams and Doe but Laffor opted for goal which was saved by Ousmane Mane.

Senegal missed out on an opportunity to equalise when Papiss Demba Cisse’s penalty was saved by goalie Nathaniel Sherman minutes after Doe’s goal but the hosts still pressed on.

They were rewarded for their tireless effort when George Gebro’s tackle on Moussa Konate earned them a penalty.

The Invincible Eleven defender was lucky not to have been booked for what looked to be a harsh tackle.

But Ibrahima Balde leveled the score in the 32nd minute after a costly mistake by Patrick Gerhardt Nyemah.

Like Gebro, the Bosnia & Herzegovina-based defender with Sarajevo had all the time and space in this world to make a clearance but he was reportedly told by Gebro that he was alone.

Having allowed the ball to bounce, it became a 50-50 situation and he was subsequently blocked by Konate, who lobbed a pass to Cisse on the far left of the pitch.

Cisse then sent a lovely dispatch, which looked to be a loosed ball until an unmarked Balde headed past a hapless Sherman to end the first half one apiece.

Back from the break, Liberia were reduced to 10 men when defender
Solomon Grimes was sent-off for the cruelest of tackle and his second bookable offence proved to be the turning point.

And Senegal profited from Grimes’ departure to take the lead through substitute Dame N’Doye in the 72nd minute.

N’Doye, on for Konate, received a through ball from Cisse, surged towards goal with Solomon Wesseh closely marking but soon found space to squeeze the ball between Wesseh and Sherman at a reverse angle.

With Ibrahima Toure on for Balde, Liberia struggled to cope with the pressure from the hosts who were making use of their heights by playing aerial balls since their visitors were closing down the space in defence.

Cisse, who wore the armband when Senegal beat Morocco in a friendly on May 25 in Marrakech, demonstrated his supremacy and captaincy with few nerve-wrecking attacks but there was no element of luck on his side.

Liberia pressed harder in search of the equalizer until Zah Kranger, who was on for the injured Patrick Wleh and in the clearest of position, hammered his effort against the woodwork.

And it was from the resultant play in which Sadio Mane, a threat to Gerhardt and Jimmy Dixon, sealed Liberia’s dream of a vital away draw or win in the 83rd minute with a low tap in after the UMC Roots shot stopper rebounded the first catch.

It was a perfect start for interim coach Joseph Koto who made no change to the squad that started against Morocco.

Overseeing his first competitive match in charge after the resignation of Frenchman Pierre Lechantre in demand of a three-month salary advance, Koto has given Senegalese fans some hope after a dreadful 2012 Nations Cup finals in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea where they lost all three games against eventual champions Zambia, Equatorial Guinea and Libya.

Unlike Koto, new Liberia coach Kaetu Smith was reduced to warm-up practice session against ex-internationals and Fatu FC.

And his decision to play three strikers—Wleh, Doe and Williams and two holding midfielders—Alseny Keita and Theo Weeks who was not at his best, has already come under criticisms on the FA facebook group.

Back in Monrovia, there could be more criticisms depending on the World Cup qualifier with Angola on Sunday.

Saturday’s match started with a minute of silence for former Senegal star Jules Bocande—also assistant coach during the 2002 World Cup—who died in a French hospital last month.

Language barrier prevented our reporter from speaking to Koto but Smith wouldn’t speak to him given the scuffle that engulfed between him and two players—Gebro and Laffor with the latter striking him for a comment made while departing the team’s bus enroute to interact with children at the JFK hospital on Wednesday.

Infact, Smith said he doesn’t feel comfortable releasing his team to a journalist who has cast a dark expression on two of his players and an indirect reflection on him.

But team manager Sebastian Collins was instructed by LFA president Musa Bility and other officials to make the list public as this wasn’t a club but national team.

Next up, is a performance appraise of the technical staff and players. This promises to be fantabulous.

Liberia line-up: 1-Nathaniel Sherman, 18-Solomon Grimes, 17-George Gebro, 6-Patrick Gerhardt Nyemah, 5-Jimmy Dixon, 4-Theo Weeks, 8-Alseny Keita, 14-captain Anthony Laffor (2-Marcus Macauley 86’), 9-Dioh Williams (12-Solomon Wesseh 80’), 13-Patrick Wleh (10-Zah Kranger 41’) and 15-Francis Grandpa Doe.

Subs not used: 3-Teah Dennis, 7-Perry Kollie, 11-Abraham Barshall, 16-Mulbah Urey, 19-James Zotiah and 20-Galley James.

Senegal line-up: 23-Ousmane Mane, 3-Lamine Ludovic Sané, 4-Abdoulaye Ba, 5-Pape Guèye, 7-Moussa Konaté (11-Dame N’Doye 45+1), 10-Sadio Mané, 15-captain Papiss Demba Cissé, 19- Idrissa Gana Guèye, 20- Ibrahima Baldé (12-Ibrahima Toure 58’), 21-Mohamed Diamé (8-Cheikhou Kouyaté 79’) and 22-Cheikh Mbengue.

Subs not used: 1-Bouna Coundoul, 2-Remy Gomis, 6-Serigne Modou Kara Mbodji, 9-Soulaymane Camara, 13-Jacques Faty, 14-Ricardo Faty, 16-Khadim N’Diaye, 17-Stephane Badji and 18-Pape Ndiaye Souare.

Booked: Kranger 42’, Grimes 62’ and Doe 63’.

Referees: Desire Noumandiez Doue—center, Songuifolo Yeo-1, Moussa Bayere-2 and Denis Dembele—4th official (all from Ivory Coast) and match commissioner Hichem Guirat (Tunisia).