Group E of the ongoing TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations, Cameroon 2021 kicks off on Tuesday 11 January 2022 with reigning champions Algeria taking on Sierra Leone at Japoma stadium in Douala.
Holders Algeria, unbeaten for a record long time will kick off their title defending campaign against the Leone Stars, a team returning to AFCON after 26 years of absence. A game of contradictions awaiting.
Match Card
Date: January 11, 2022
Time: 14:00 local time (13:00 GMT)
Venue: Japoma Stadium, Douala
Group: E
Match: Algeria v Sierra Leone
Both sides were in the same group when Sierra Leone last appeared in AFCON in South Africa 1996. Les Fennecs of Algeria won 2-0 at that time.
The defending Champions guided by the 2019 winning coach Djamel Belmadi, are unbeaten in 34 international games, a record they look to extend while dreaming of a third AFCON title, a second in a row.
Buoyed by their recent FIFA Arab Cup triumph last month in Qatar, Algeria have the ambition to maintain their invincibility and to warn their next opponents not only in Group E and also for the race for the title.
On the other hand, Sierra Leone are having their 3rd AFCON appearance after 26 years of absence, and want to start on a bright note, despite the fact that they face none but the continent’s likely biggest force at the moment.
Coach John Keister’s side was the last to qualify for the finals, but with a remarkable 4-4 draw in Nigeria on the road, when the Leone Stars came from 4-0 down to snatch a priceless point.
With the likes of Steven Caulker, former England defender, and striker Kei Kamara (37), they will hope to start the tournament with a shock.
