IVORY COAST 2-0 GUINEA-BISSAU: AFCON HOSTS OFF TO A FLYING START, SEKO NETS
By Ajape Sefiu A.
Ivory Coast is off to a great start, making Guinea-Bissau pay a price for defensive errors as Seko Fofana and Jean-Philippe Krasso lead the AFCON hosts to win in the tournament’s opening match.
Africa Cup of Nations hosts, Ivory Coast defeated Guinea-Bissau 2-0 in the opening game of the competition, setting up an incredible start for the hosts.
The competition got underway in just four minutes, with Seko Fofana giving Ivory Coast a 1-0 lead.
Just beyond the Guinea-Bissau box, the tournament hosts pounced on a poor ball from Jefferson Encada, and despite being surrounded by players, Fofana slammed in a beautiful goal.
Meanwhile, just before the half, the visitors made a breakthrough for their first significant opportunity of the match, but Mama Balde was unable to beat the goalkeeper.
In response to the visitor’s threat, Fofana produced yet another fantastic attempt for Ivory Coast, but goalkeeper Ouparine Djoco tipped it over the bar.
A few moments later, the Ivorians had another fantastic opportunity, but Jean-Philippe Krasso’s close-range attempt was stopped.
However, Guinea-Bissau had limited opportunities, but they still had a chance to stay in the game, and that optimism was dashed just before the hour mark when Opa Sangante’s terrible defending gave Krasso a chance and he scored without error, sealing the game for the hosts.
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