2024-01-13 22:02:11
Ivory Coast did not tremble at home during the opening match of CAN 2023. The hosts won 2 goals to 0 once morest Guinea-Bissau for the first day of group A.
Eager not to miss their debut at home, the French coach’s Elephants Jean-Louis Gasset thus reassured their supporters, who only had to wait four minutes before celebrating the opening score.
The first explosion of joy in the Alassane Ouattara stadium came from an exploit by the former Lens player Fofana Schoolwho opened the scoring with a beautiful curling shot following resisting the marking of two opposing players.
Things mightn’t have started better for the Ivorians, all dressed in orange, once morest an opponent who has never won a single match in the African Cup.
Fofana, now in the colors of the Saudi club Al-Nassr alongside Cristiano Ronaldoalmost achieved the double in the 35th minute, but his shot at the edge of the area was deflected onto the crossbar by the goalkeeper Ouparine Djoco.
Krasso’s Feat
While the meeting had slowed down, with a fairly sterile domination of the Ivorians, the former Stéphanois Jean-Philippe Krasso relieved his team by doubling the score with a nice personal feat (56th).
At the reception of a center Jonathan Bambathe Red Star Belgrade striker outplayed two opponents on two aerial checks before scoring with a left-footed pivot.
A first success more difficult than the score seems to indicate but which will remove a lot of weight weighing on the shoulders of the Ivorians, eliminated in the round of 16 during the previous edition in Cameroon, beaten by Egypt on penalties. aim.
However, Guinea-Bissau was not unworthy, and even brought danger to the goal on several occasions. Yahia Fofanain particular on the actions of the Lyon striker Mama Baldewho however came out injured in the 85th minute.
Favorite on its soil, Ivory Coast hopes to win a third star, following the victories of 1992 and 2015, and break the curse of the organizer, who has not won the CAN since Egypt in Cairo in 2006. It was in front of Didier Drogba’s Ivory Coast in the final (0-0, 4 tab to 2).
And above all erase the nightmare of the 1984 edition, also at home, ended with an elimination in the first round.
During the next day next Thursday, Ivory Coast will face Nigeria which begins the tournament on Sunday once morest Equatorial Guinea.
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