Romanian Marinica makes winning start as Liberia coach
Romanian Mario Marinica made a winning debut as coach of Liberia on Thursday with a 2-0 win over Djibouti in a 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier.
The 59-year-old took charge of Liberia last month after Ansu Keita quit following death threats from supporters angered by a home loss to Malawi in a 2026 World Cup qualifier.
Marinica previously coached clubs in South Africa and Tanzania, and qualified Malawi for the 2022 Cup of Nations in Cameroon, where they reached the second round.
Mohammed Sangare converted a 21st-minute penalty in the Moroccan city of Marrakesh and captain Murphy Dorley doubled the lead 12 minutes later.
Victory snapped a nine-match winless streak by Liberia, who last qualified for the Cup of Nations tournament in 2002.
The preliminary round first leg match was staged in Morocco because Djibouti do not have an international-standard stadium.
It spanned two days, kicking off at 2300 (2200 GMT) local time on Wednesday while the second half started just after midnight in the central Moroccan city.
Liberia will host the second leg in Monrovia on Tuesday and the aggregate winners advance to the group stage, which kicks off in September.
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