DIALLO SHINES AS IVORY COAST BOOK QUARTER-FINAL CLASH WITH EGYPT IN AFCON
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By: Balogun Ibrahim
Manchester United winger Amad Diallo starred as Ivory Coast defeated Burkina Faso 3-0 on Monday, becoming the first defending Africa Cup of Nations champions to reach the quarter-finals since 2010.
Amad Diallo opened the scoring and set up Yan Diomande’s goal before halftime, while substitute Bazoumana Toure sealed Ivory Coast’s 3-0 victory in the closing minutes in Marrakesh.
The Elephants will now head south to the Moroccan coastal city of Agadir to face record seven-time champions Egypt on Saturday for a place in the semi-finals.
Since Egypt successfully defended their title in Angola 16 years ago, no defending champion has reached the quarter-finals. Previous holders have struggled, with Cameroon and Senegal exiting in the last 16, Zambia, Ivory Coast, and Algeria eliminated in the group stage, and Egypt and Nigeria failing to qualify for the tournament.
Burkina Faso defender Adamo Nagalo was booked just five minutes into the match for fouling Amad Diallo, but the resulting free-kick went astray as the Manchester United winger fired well wide.
Ivory Coast controlled possession early, with captain Franck Kessie coming close to scoring as he aimed a shot toward the top corner.
The breakthrough came in the 20th minute, when Diallo surged past multiple defenders and fired past goalkeeper Herve Koffi to give the defending champions the lead.
Burkina Faso appealed for the goal to be disallowed, arguing that Nagalo had been fouled by Evann Guessand, but a VAR review upheld the Sudanese referee’s decision to allow the strike.
Ivory Coast’s dominance continued, and it was no surprise when they extended their lead in the 32nd minute on a chilly, dry evening at the foothills of the Atlas Mountains.
This time, Diallo turned provider, threading a pass across the box to 19-year-old Diomande, whose perfectly curled shot left Koffi with no chance, nestling into the left corner.
In a rare attack, Burkina Faso came close to halving the deficit as Brentford striker Dango Ouattara came close for Burkina Faso, cutting in from the right and striking the base of the post, but goalkeeper Yahia Fofana was alert to grab the rebound.
As halftime approached, Burkina Faso coach Brama Traore substituted Nagalo for midfielder Blati Toure. Another change at the break saw Georgi Minoungou replace striker Lassina Traore.
Denied possession in the opening 45 minutes, the Burkinabe side found more rhythm after the interval and nearly scored around the hour mark. Ouattara connected with a low cross, but Fofana reacted quickly at his near post to clear the danger.
With 20 minutes remaining, Sunderland striker Bertrand Traore made his return to the AFCON stage, marking his sixth tournament appearance since debuting as a 16-year-old in 2012.
Ivory Coast nearly struck again on a counterattack when an unmarked Diallo’s close-range effort was blocked by Koffi, resulting in a corner.
Substitute Blati Toure sealed the result in the 87th minute, racing from his own half before firing the ball past Koffi to score his second goal in as many matches.
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