A late penalty from Mo Sangare secured a hard-fought 1-0 victory for Liberia over Togo in their TotalEnergies Confederation of African Football (CAF) Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier at the Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex on Wednesday.
Despite having a slim chance for AFCON qualification, the Lone Stars fought for pride and delivered the first win of the campaign for the home fans who turnup in a doubting number.
The victory moves the Lone Star to thirds in the group with four points while Togo drop to the bottom with two points.
In a match that saw few clear-cut chances, both teams struggled to break down the other’s defence.
Togo, needing a win to keep their slim qualification hopes alive, applied early pressure but found Liberia’s defense resilient.
Kodjo Laba and Kévin Denkey led Togo’s attacks, but their efforts were consistently thwarted by Liberia’s goalkeeper Abdulai Koulibaly and the defense.
Liberia’s best chance came in the 83rd minute after a handball by Togo’s captain, Djené Dakonam, in the penalty area.
The incident was ruled a penalty, and Sangare stepped up to calmly slot the ball into the bottom left corner, giving Liberia the lead in the final moments of the game.
Togo pushed forward in the closing minutes in search of an equalizer, with Denkey’s powerful shot saved by the Liberian goalkeeper in stoppage time.
Kodjo Laba also missed a late attempt, sending his shot high and wide, adding to the visitors’ frustration.
With this result, Liberia earned their first win of the qualifying campaign, boosting team morale under interim coach Thomas Kojo.
Togo, meanwhile, will play their final group match knowing that they won’t be able to qualify as they are five points adrift of second-placed Equatorial Guinea.
