Sierra Leone’s home-based Leone Stars suffered a 2-1 defeat by East End Lions as preparations continued for the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations 2027 qualifiers.
The match provided another competitive test for the national team’s technical staff as they assess players and work on tactical organisation, fitness, combinations and overall readiness ahead of the qualifying campaign.
East End Lions, who are preparing for their own continental assignment, secured the victory despite the home-based Leone Stars using the fixture as part of an ongoing training programme.
The result is not expected to change the wider objective of the Leone Stars’ preparations, with the technical team focused on developing a strong pool of home-based players who could contribute to the national team’s campaign for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.
The fixture allowed the coaching staff to observe players in competitive conditions rather than relying solely on training sessions.
It also provided an opportunity to continue working on the team’s tactical structure and combinations while improving the players’ fitness and match readiness.
For East End Lions, the match served a different but equally important purpose.
The club are preparing for a CAF Confederation Cup preliminary-round assignment against Académie Football Amadou Diallo (AFAD) of Côte d’Ivoire.
That match is scheduled to take place in Monrovia, Liberia, on 12 September 2026.
The upcoming continental fixture means East End Lions are also using their current preparation period to improve their competitive sharpness and readiness.
The 2-1 victory over the Leone Stars home-based squad therefore offered the club another opportunity to test themselves before their Confederation Cup campaign begins.
For the Leone Stars, attention will now return to their training programme as preparations intensify for the road to AFCON 2027.
The technical team will continue to assess the players available to them while working to strengthen the squad and improve its overall organisation.
The defeat against East End Lions provides another set of observations for the coaching staff as they seek to build a competitive home-based group capable of contributing to Sierra Leone’s national team.
The preparations have also received attention from the leadership of the Sierra Leone Football Association.
SLFA president Babadi Kamara visited the Leone Stars home-based training camp as the squad continued its work towards the AFCON 2027 qualifiers.
During the visit, Kamara held a brief but constructive meeting with Leone Stars head coach Didier Gomes Da Rosa.
The coach provided the SLFA president with an update on the progress of the training camp, the development of the players and the work being carried out by the technical team.
Kamara subsequently reaffirmed the football association’s commitment to supporting the technical team throughout the preparation period.
His visit comes as the Leone Stars continue to build towards their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign, with the home-based squad forming part of the wider preparations.
The technical staff will now look to use the remaining training sessions to address areas identified during the competitive test against East End Lions.
Although the 2-1 defeat was not the desired outcome, the match was designed to provide the coaching staff with useful competitive experience and information about the players.
The focus remains on developing a strong and competitive group rather than the result of a single preparation match.
East End Lions, meanwhile, can take confidence from their victory as they prepare for their meeting with AFAD in Liberia.
Their continental assignment on 12 September will provide a more significant test, making the build-up period important for the club.
For Sierra Leone, preparations will continue as Da Rosa and his technical team work to sharpen the home-based squad and assess the players who could eventually contribute to the national side.
With the AFCON 2027 qualifiers approaching, the Leone Stars will continue their training programme with the aim of improving their organisation, fitness and combinations.
The visit by Kamara also underlined the SLFA’s intention to provide support to the technical team as the national side works towards the next stage of its international campaign.
The 2-1 loss to East End Lions was therefore another step in a preparation process that will continue in the coming days, with the focus firmly on building the squad for the road to AFCON 2027.
