Ivory Coast made a strong start to their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign with a 2-0 victory over Ghana on Tuesday. Goals from debutant Malick Yalcouyé before halftime and Franck Kessié from the penalty spot secured a deserved win for the Elephants.
Their recent form has been mixed, with three wins and two losses in their last five outings. The starting lineup featured a debut for young attacker Malick Yalcouyé, who made an immediate impact.
Yalcouyé broke the deadlock just before the interval, scoring with a fine strike in the 44th minute. Franck Kessié sealed the three points from the penalty spot in the 56th minute, converting calmly after a foul in the box.
The win gives Ivory Coast an ideal platform at the start of the qualification phase. Attention now turns to their next fixture, an away trip to face Somalia on Sunday. The squad, showing promising signs, will need to maintain this positive momentum in the games ahead, the standings for which can be tracked on our standings page.
The original report is at Le Parisien
The Ivorian Football Federation confirmed the qualification match against Ghana will be played at the Stade de la Paix in Bouaké on Thursday. Kick-off is set for 21:00. BeIN Sports 2 will broadcast the match live, the broadcaster stated.
Centre-back Diomande played the full 90 minutes in the 2-0 win over Ghana, Real Madrid confirmed. The club highlighted his performance, describing him as "one of the best performers for his team".
Brighton midfielder Malick Yalcouyé was decisive in both goals during the 2-0 win over Ghana, the match report confirmed. The 18-year-old opened the scoring before being brought down in the box for the penalty converted by Franck Kessié. The team, which has scored 4 goals and conceded 2 this season, will face Somalia on September 29.
