Sellas Tetteh will have to try another time, but his team came so close to an upset.

The Ghanaian led Sierra Leone to the Ivorian city of Bouake aiming to get a win against reigning African champions Ivory Coast in order to book a ticket to the next African Cup.

Sierra Leone had four points, their hosts had five.

But in the end the Leone Stars failed to qualify after  a 1-1 draw in their Group I match on Saturday evening. Tetteh and his charges ended one point behind the group leaders after the match.

The African Champions was ahead in the 36th minute with a well-taken goal from Jonathan Kodjia. The pressure mounted on the Ivorians just after New England Revolution striker Kei Kamara equalised midway through the second half.

In the last minute of added time, Sierra Leone came close to knocking the 2015 Nations Cup winners out with another header from the MLS striker, who has returned from international retirement.

The Leone Stars have never defeated the Ivorians in eight attempts, however, in their last meeting Les Elephants endured a frustrating time against their West African counterparts following a 0-0 draw in Port Harcourt, Nigeria.

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