MONROVIA, Montserrado – Sam Johnson is not the standout player for Liberia that he is for Djurgårdens IF.

Despite his recent fine form with former club IK Frej, the presence of the likes of Sekou Oliseh, Tonia Tisdell and Anthony Laffor has seen him struggle to earn a call for the senior National team.

The 23-year-old was picked for the Lone Star’s crucial match against Tunisia in their AFCON 2017 qualifier on Saturday, and proved his worth to Debbah and his technical staffs.

Johnson, who is popularly known in his roles as a forward, began the game in center midfield with Malaysian base Patrick Gerhardt while Sundowns’ forward Laffor and Felda’s midfielder Zah Krangar operated on both flings as Liberia was executing a 4-4-2 formation.

A metronomic passer and a deceptively quick player, Johnson also looked to dip into midfield, swapping positions with Krangar as he regularly evaded his marker and contributed to the total dominance that earn the Lone Stars a 1-0 with Malaysian base Francis Doe getting the lone goal in the 79th minute. His hard work on the pitch earned him the man of the match award.

Featured photo courtesy of Sam Johnson