Ivory Coast kick kick off off Africa Africa Cup Cup with with win
HOSTS Ivory Coast kicked off the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) on Saturday with a 2-0 victory against Guinea Bissau.
The hosts broke the deadlock when Seko Fofana made a close-range finish in the fourth minute, assisted by Franck Kessie.
In the 58th minute, Jean Philippe Krasso’s classy closerange shooting doubled the lead of the Elephants at Abidjan’s Stade Olympique Alassane Ouattara.
Meanwhile Egypt avoided a shock defeat in their opening match with a stoppage-time penalty scored by Liverpool ace Mohammed Salah to rescue a 2-2 draw against Mozambique on Sunday.
Egypt’s Mostafa Mohamed broke the deadlock in the second minute but Mozambique levelled the game with Witi in the 55th at the Stade Felix Houphouet Boigny.
About three minutes later, Mozambique took the lead when Clesio Bauque made a close-range finish.
In the 97th minute, Salah converted the penalty and the game ended in a 2-2 draw in Group B.
In another Sunday draw, Equatorial Guinea were held to a 1-1 score with Nigeria in Group A at the Olympic Stadium of Ebimpe.
The 34th Africa Cup of Nations will end on February 11 in Abidjan, a city in the Ivory Coast.
Africa’s football authority previously postponed the tournament to 2024 due to adverse weather conditions in the West African nation.
The Round of 16 will start on Saturday, January 27, with the quarter-final and semi-final stages starting on February 2 and February 7 respectively.
Egypt is the most successful country in the tournament, having lifted seven titles, the last being in 2010. Ivory Coast have been crowned champions twice, in 1992 and 2015.