Sierra Leone suffered a dramatic collapse on Thursday, surrendering a two-goal lead to Zimbabwe, who fought back to secure a 3-2 victory at the El Jadida Stadium in Morocco in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifier.

The Leone Stars appeared to be firmly in control after taking a deserved 2-0 lead inside the opening 30 minutes, with Alie Conteh and Sallieu Tarawallie finding the net.

Conteh opened the scoring in the seventh minute with a well-taken header from Sallieu Tarawallie’s cross, giving Sierra Leone an early advantage.

Tarawallie then doubled the lead with a close-range finish as Sierra Leone continued to control proceedings and looked set for a comfortable victory.

The Collapse

However, the game dramatically changed after the break.

Zimbabwe pulled one goal back in the 72nd minute when Wolves striker Marshall Munetsi headed home to give the Warriors renewed hope.

The comeback gathered momentum when Tawanda Chirewa produced a left-footed strike from outside the box to level the score at 2-2.

The equaliser stunned Sierra Leone and left head coach Da Rosa facing a remarkable turnaround after his side had established a commanding two-goal advantage.

Zimbabwe completed their comeback in the 88th minute, with Munetsi scoring his second goal of the match to seal a 3-2 victory for the Warriors.

Group E Standings

The defeat represents a major setback for Sierra Leone, who had appeared to be on course for an important three points before allowing Zimbabwe to produce a remarkable late comeback.

In the other Group E fixture, DR Congo defeated Equatorial Guinea 2-0.

Following the results, Zimbabwe and DR Congo occupy the top two positions in the group, putting themselves in a strong position in the race for qualification.