Zimbabwe made a winning start to their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign on Thursday night, recovering from a two-goal half-time deficit to beat Sierra Leone 3-2 in Group E. It was an unusually dramatic opening result for the Warriors, who were facing defeat before three goals in the final 20 minutes turned the match around.
CAF reported that Sierra Leone took the lead after seven minutes through Alie Conteh before Sallieu Tarawallie doubled the advantage in the 27th minute. That sent Sierra Leone into the interval 2-0 ahead and left Zimbabwe needing a substantial second-half response.
How Zimbabwe turned it around
The comeback did not begin until the 72nd minute, when Marshall Munetsi reduced the deficit. Tawanda Chirewa then made it 2-2 four minutes later, changing the position of the match in a very short spell. With the score level and normal time running out, Munetsi struck again in the 88th minute to complete Zimbabwe's 3-2 victory.
The timing of the goals is what makes the result stand out. Sierra Leone had carried a two-goal advantage deep into the second half, but Zimbabwe scored three times between the 72nd and 88th minutes. Munetsi's second goal gave the Warriors all three points from a match in which they had trailed 2-0 at the break.
For Sierra Leone, the result is difficult because the side had already done much of the work required to secure an opening-round win. Instead, they begin the campaign without a point despite scoring twice and leading for most of the contest. There are still five group matches remaining, so the defeat does not decide their qualification prospects, but it increases the importance of their next fixture.
Why the opening result matters
Group E contains Zimbabwe, Sierra Leone, DR Congo and Equatorial Guinea. CAF's qualification format places the 48 participating teams into 12 groups of four, with each group playing a six-match home-and-away schedule. Because Group E does not contain one of the three tournament co-hosts, the teams finishing first and second in the group qualify for the 2027 finals.
That format gives Zimbabwe a useful early return: three points from the first of six qualifiers. It is still too early to draw firm conclusions about the group, but an opening win provides immediate breathing room before the second round of matches. Sierra Leone, meanwhile, have little time to dwell on the manner of the defeat.
What it means / what happens next
Both teams return to qualifying action on Monday, 28 September. CAF lists Zimbabwe against DR Congo and Equatorial Guinea against Sierra Leone, with both Group E fixtures scheduled for 16:00 GMT, which is 18:00 SAST.
Zimbabwe therefore have an opportunity to build on a comeback that has already given their campaign momentum on the points table, while Sierra Leone can respond quickly against Equatorial Guinea. With only six matches in the group phase, the second set of fixtures should provide a clearer early picture of Group E before the qualifiers pause and resume during the November international window.