Tournament hosts Ivory Coast have crashed out 2023 AFCON after suffering a shock defeat to Equatorial Guinea, MySportDab Reports.
The Elephants went into the game on the back of a defeat against Nigeria in their second game. They kicked off their campaign with a resounding 2-0 victory over Guinea-Bissau but struggled in their last two games.
Against Nigeria, the Elephants were dominant with a commanding control of proceedings going forward but they struggled with limited touches in Nigeria’s half and were clueless in trying to break down the Super Eagles’ defense.
The game turned out a nightmare for the hosts after CAF Footballer of the Year Victor Osimhen won Nigeria a penalty. William-Troost Ekong converted it perfectly, firing straight at the Ivorien goalkeeper who had dived to the left.
With enough time to play for, the Ivoriens could not overturn the game as Nigeria held on to secure a narrow 1-0 victory.
Following the defeat to the Super Eagles, the African giants needed a win against Equatorial Guinea to seal a spot in the next round of the competition.
It was another nightmare at the Ebimpe stadium. The Ivoriens dominated proceedings from the start wielding 70% of the ball but could not find the back of the net.
Equatorial Guinea got the better of the hosts right from the first half. Nsue fired Equatorial Guinea into the lead in the 42nd minute and the goal was bought to send them into the lead at the break
The Ivoriens came back stronger in the second half hoping for a comeback but were dealt a heavy blow with a quickfire double in the 73rd and 75th minute. Ganet doubled the lead for the Group A leaders before Nsue added to the tally two minutes later to bag his brace and make it 3-0.
It was game over for the Ivoriens as they went 3-0 down in a flash. With few minutes left to play, Buyla compounded Ivory Coast woes, scoring Equatorial Equatorial Guinea’s 4th goal in the 88th minute to wrap up a 4-0 win and book round 16 ticket while Ivory Coast crashed out of the competition.
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