Bristol Rovers midfielder Kamil Conteh starred for Sierra Leone in dramatic World Cup qualifiers

Kamil Conteh earned his ninth senior cap for Sierra Leone on Monday night with a 21-minute appearance off the bench as Leone Stars secured a dramatic World Cup qualifying point against Burkina Faso.

The Bristol Rovers midfielder came on in the 69th minute with his side 2-1 down, having pulled one back through Augustus Kargbo 11 minutes from time after conceding two first-half goals. Sierra Leone then pulled one back through an 87th-minute equalizer from Forest Green Rovers striker Amadou Bakayoko.

After beating Djibouti 2-1 last Wednesday, this international camp has certainly been productive for Leone Stars with four points in the World Cup qualifiers after picking up a point from their opening two matches. This leaves them fourth in Group A with Egypt, Guinea Bissau and Ethiopia the other sides in their group.

Conteh was an unused substitute against Djibouti but, before Monday, had not played for his country for over a year and, at 21, remains one of the younger players in a squad that included Charlton Athletic’s Daniel Kanu and the from Cambridge United. Sully Kaikai.

Sierra Leone’s next scheduled World Cup qualifiers are in March next year against Guinea-Bissau and Egypt, who have never appeared in a World Cup final before. However, the Africa Cup of Nations 2025 qualifiers are expected to take place later in the year, although CAF has admitted it is a “scheduling nightmare”.

Conteh enjoyed a stellar first few months at Rovers following his January switch, showing excellent ball-winning skills and reading the game with a maturity well beyond his years. However, the young midfielder struggled for a regular starting place towards the end of last season, mainly due to Jordan Rossiter’s long-awaited return from injury.

Regardless, he remains one of the most exciting prospects in Matt Taylor’s squad and will now be given a much-needed three-week break before returning to The Quarters for pre-season on July 1.