Ivory Coast defeat Burkina Faso, progress to AFCON quarter final

Reigning AFCON champions, Ivory Coast, comfortably eased past Burkina Faso with a 3-0 win in their round of 16 tie to qualify for the quarter-finals. Amad Diallo, Yan Diomande, and Bazoumana Toure, were all on the scoresheet as the Elephants made light work of a tricky Burkinabe. The West African derby saw Burkina Faso on […]

Reigning AFCON champions, Ivory Coast, comfortably eased past Burkina Faso with a 3-0 win in their round of 16 tie to qualify for the quarter-finals.

Amad Diallo, Yan Diomande, and Bazoumana Toure, were all on the scoresheet as the Elephants made light work of a tricky Burkinabe.

The West African derby saw Burkina Faso on the attack early on, but the Ivoirians took control as the half progressed and scored their first goal on 20 minutes when Diallo provided a dinked finish over the goalkeeper for his third goal of the tournament.

The Manchester United winger thereafter assisted the team’s second, as Diamande finished a pass from the speedster with aplomb for a two-goal advantage at halftime.

Any hope of Burkina Faso mounting a comeback was extinguished when Toure scored a goal of the tournament contender on 87 minutes. The wonderkid won the ball in his Ivory Coast’s penalty area and embarked on a run that culminated in a fine finish into the net for the win, netting his second of the tournament in two substitute appearances.

Emerson Fae’s side will face Egypt in the quarter-final, as they bid to become the first country since Egypt in 2008 to successfully defend the AFCON title.