Marshall Munetsi double seals Zimbabwe victory after Sierra Leone start

Zimbabwe fought back from two goals down to beat Sierra Leone 3-2 in their opening Group E fixture of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

The Warriors looked set for a difficult evening after conceding twice inside the opening half-hour. Alie Conteh put the Leone Stars ahead in the seventh minute, before Sallieu Tarawallie extended their advantage in the 27th minute.

Sierra Leone took a 2-0 lead into half-time and appeared to have established firm control of the match.

Zimbabwe, however, transformed the contest after the interval. Marshall Munetsi pulled one goal back in the 72nd minute, giving the Warriors renewed hope.

Four minutes later, Tawanda Chirewa completed the recovery by making it 2-2.

The turnaround was completed in the 88th minute when Munetsi scored again to give Zimbabwe a 3-2 victory. His second goal of the match secured all three points for Ramon Catala’s side in their first qualifying fixture.

The result provides an ideal start for Catala, who was taking charge of Zimbabwe for the first time in these 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

Zimbabwe will return to qualifying action on 28 September, when they host RD Congo.