Cameroon, Ivory Coast draw mega clash

Defending champions Ivory Coast took a lead that lasted only five minutes before Cameroon equalised to secure a 1-1 draw in their heavyweight clash at the Africa Cup of Nations finals on Sunday.
Amad Diallo scored for a second successive game to open the scoring for the Ivorians in the 51st minute but full back Junior Tchamadeu levelled for Cameroon with the help of a deflection in the 56th minute at the Grande Stade Marrakech.
The countries, who have eight Cup of Nations titles between them, now share the lead in Group F with four points apiece, followed by Mozambique on three.
Gabon, lost 3-2 earlier on Sunday to Mozambique in Agadir, were eliminated as a result of the draw in Marrakech.
Diallo, who scored for the Ivorians when they beat Mozambique 1-0 in a winning start to their title defence, was on target again with a stunning curled effort after a long ball out of defence had picked him out on the right of the Ivorian attack. He cut inside and perfectly bent the ball with his left foot into the far corner.
“I’m going to try to give my best in this competition. I’ll never give up,” said Diallo after being named man of the match for a second time in as many games.
The goal came three minutes after Ivorian skipper Frank Kessie had bundled the ball into the net but was narrowly offside and had his effort chalked off.
Cameroon immediately went down the other end and a shot from Danny Namaso was deflected onto the crossbar.
Cameroon benefited from another deflection for their goal as Tchamadeu’s shot struck defender Ghislain Konan and spun up viciously, looping over goalkeeper Yahia Fofana and into the net.
The much-anticipated clash was full of high-tempo action but many missed chances, notably from Ivory Coast striker Vakoun Bayo who had been included in the starting line-up in place of Wilfried Zaha.
Cameroon handed a debut to Christian Kofane, the 19-year-old who has made a strong impression in his first season at Bayer Leverkusen and who had turned down call-ups from Cameroon for World Cup qualifiers in recent months.
Croatian soccer player Luka Modric also has a minority stake, joining in April.
 
Algeria into last 16
Riyad Mahrez scored a first half penalty as Algeria sealed their place in the knockout rounds of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations with a 1-0 victory over Burkina Faso in their Group E clash in Rabat on Sunday.
Algeria have six points and will win the group as they cannot be overhauled by either Burkina Faso (3 points) or Sudan (3) following the third round of fixtures in the pool due to the head-to-head rule.
The Burkinabe meet Sudan in their final clash on Wednesday, while Algeria take on bottom side Equatorial Guinea, who are eliminated.
Algeria were awarded a penalty just past the 20-minute mark when Rayan Ait Nouri was felled in the box by Ismahila Ouedraogo, and Mahrez made no mistake as he sent Herve Koffi in the Burkina Faso goal the wrong way.
Mahrez extended his record as Algeria’s all-time leading scorer at the Cup of Nations with his ninth goal and is also the leading scorer in this edition so far having netted twice in the opening 3-0 win over Sudan.
The Burkinabe came close to an equaliser just before halftime when Pierre Kabore’s close-range header came back off the post and Algeria were able to scramble the ball to safety.
Koffi was busy in the Burkina Faso goal and saved from Mohamed Amoura, before Ibrahim Maza forced another good stop and then scuffed a shot wide of the target.
Luca Zidane, son of France great Zinedine, showed good reactions to keep out a Lassina Traore header late on as Burkina Faso came close to an equaliser.
Groups A and B conclude on Monday, and by Wednesday, the field for the last 16 will be settled. The knockout matches begin next weekend.Latest News, Breaking News & Top News Stories | The Express TribuneREUTERSRead More