AFCON 2021: Seven players who surprised us in Week 1

The African Cup of Nations (AFCON) is always a nice opportunity to watch some of the best players in the world but also to discover players from leagues that are almost impossible to follow not only for the average football fan but also for professional analysts.

With lots of players in the AFCON 2021 still playing in their local leagues or in very small leagues, the tournament is their opportunity to compare themselves to top footballers and prove they can perform at their level and earn a move to a better league either within Africa or outside.

Clubs at every level must be following the tournament closely as there are opportunities for everyone. For example, the highest-paid players in the Ethiopian Premier League reportedly make less than 2,500€ a month so they would be available for almost any professional club in Europe.

In this tactical analysis piece, we have selected seven players still playing in relatively small leagues that have shown a good level in the first week of the AFCON 2021. For each of them, we have provided a scout report and analysis. They’re not the best performers or the best players in the tournament, just players who have performed at a level we didn’t expect.

Mohamed Kamara  22, Sierra Leone & East End Lions  Goalkeeper

Sierra Leone’s #1 was one of the most talked-about players in the first week of the AFCON 2021. His impressive performances against the defending champions and his heart-warming reaction to receiving the Man of the Match Award have caught the attention of fans and scouts alike and at 22, the game vs Algeria is probably a life-changing one for him. He and the former EPL star Steven Caulker were key in Sierra Leone’s draw.

Kamara (1999) has spent his whole career so far in his country, playing for FC Johansen first and currently for East End Lions. At 22, this is his first major tournament but he has already been capped 10 times and even captained Sierra Leone in a historical 0-0 draw against Nigeria in 2020.

A modern goalkeeper with a very aggressive and proactive positioning. Intercepted many passes outside the box and was also good at claiming and intercepting crosses. Very keen to leave the goal and challenge for the ball outside the box. Standing at 1.87m, he has good size to fight for aerial balls and displayed a tendency to go for them and take risks.

The map above shows Kamara’s interceptions, tackles, defensive and aerial duels during the games. It’s very rare for a goalkeeper to engage in so many actions far from his goal but he was extremely effective, preventing many good chances with his anticipation and determination.

Another strong point of Kamara’s game was his shot-stopping ability. He showed good reflexes to save Algeria’s eight shots on target. He was always well-positioned and showed his agility to save a low shot and his reflexes and quick hands to save a shot that was deflected too. The shots he saved were worth 0.95 xG. Below we can see all the shots in the game.