Serge Aurier ends up as keeper as pitch causes injury and dramatic late goal
Serge Aurier ended up in goal for the Ivory Coast after the pitch caused an injury to their goalkeeper and a dramatic late equaliser against Sierra Leone.
Badra Ali Sangare was injured as the ball slipped from his grasp while collecting it in the final minute of stoppage time, with Alhaji Kamara tapping into an empty net to equalise.
After receiving treatment, Sangare was unable to continue and former Tottenham Hotspur defender Aurier was forced to put on a goalkeeper shirt and gloves for the closing stages of the match.
Luckily, he had little to do and the match remained 2-2 until the final whistle.
Sangare appeared to be about to collect the ball and run the clock down with no one around him before the pitch caused an error from him.
As he picked the ball up he slipped on the turf and the ball popped out from under him as he went to ground.
This allowed another former Spurs defender, Steven Caulker, to collect the ball and square it for Kamara, who slipped before prodding the ball into an empty net.
Ivory Coast will hope that this is the only time Aurier is forced to don the gloves in the tournament as they prepare to play Algeria next.
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However, with Sangare now potentially out of that match and the chances of a positive covid test for their other keepers, they face a nervous few days in Cameroon.
As for Sierra Leone, Kamara's goal caused jubilant scenes amongst the Sierra Leone players, with the Randers forward recreating Bafetimbi Gomis' crawling celebration before being mobbed by his team-mates.
The incident also drew a mixed reaction from fans on social media with some having sympathy for Sangare, while others simply appreciated the unpredictability of the tournament.
One fan took to Twitter and wrote: “This tournament gets better every single day.”
Another simply tweeted: "What a f***ing tournament.”
A third viewer added: “This is the best goal you will ever see, I love AFCON.”
Meanwhile, one fan had some sympathy for Sangare: “That’s the pitch not the keeper, just look at it when he lands.”
This was seconded by another, who tweeted: “That's heartbreaking ffs, look at the keeper's face at the end.”
The dramatic late equaliser secured a second successive draw for Sierra Leone, who go into their final match with Equatorial Guinea knowing a win will likely take them through.
As for the Ivory Coast, they now face a dramatic wait on the fitness of Sangare ahead of their last group game against Algeria on Thursday.
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