Sierra Leone and Senegal played to a 1-1 draw in the first leg of their 2018 African Nations Championship at the National Stadium in Freetown on Saturday.

Sierra Leone scored first in the match, but could not hold onto the lead as Senegal equalised late in the game, scoring a vital away goal ahead of the second leg.

The two sides will meet again next week in Senegal for the second leg where the winner on aggregate will face either Guinea-Bissau or Guinea in the final round of the qualifying campaign.

Guinea have the advantage in that match having beat Guinea-Bissau 3-1 earlier on Saturday.

The Leone Stars have never participated in the CHAN finals and the West African side will be looking to qualify for the finals in Kenya next year.

Senegal qualified for the first two CHAN finals (in 2009 and 2011). Their best finish was when they were beaten in the third-place playoff match in 2009.

Collins Okinyo

Ex- CAF Media Expert. An expert on African football with over 15 years experience ,always with an ear to the ground with indepth knowledge of the game. I have worked for top publications including 7 years at www.supersport.com until i founded www.soka25east.com to quench the thirst of football lovers across the continent. I have trained young upcoming journalists who are now a voice in African football.I have covered World Cup,AFCON,CHAN,Champions League,Confederations Cup,Cecafa,Cosafa,Wafu and many other football tournaments across the World. Founder Football Africa Arena(FAA),Founder www.afrisportdigital.com