Amad Diallo scores goal as Ivory Coast win against Mozambique at AFCON

A lone extremity by the Manchester United guardant is capable for Ivory Coast to successfully statesman their AFCON rubric defence.

Holders Ivory Coast squandered a fig of chances, but Amad Diallo’s extremity aboriginal successful the 2nd fractional was capable to bushed Mozambique 1-0 and springiness them a winning ⁠start to their Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) rubric defence.

In the opening Group F ​game connected Wednesday successful Morocco, the Ivorians battled to interruption down their ‍opponents successful a competitory archetypal fractional but took steadfast power aft the interruption without converting the galore chances they created.

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Diallo side-footed the shot into the nett successful the ‍49th infinitesimal ⁠to guarantee the three-point haul successful rainy conditions, but the scoreline would person been a batch much emphatic had the Ivorians been sharper successful beforehand of goal.

Wilfried Zaha, playing his archetypal planetary successful much than 2 years aft his astonishment callback for the Cup of Nations finals, wasted respective chances, and Franck Kessie had 2 point-blank ​efforts saved by Mozambique goalkeeper Ernan.

Ivorian substitute Vakoun Bayo ‌also had an accidental with an casual header successful beforehand of extremity but someway enactment it wide, and successful the 89th minute, Bayo had an effort cleared disconnected the enactment ‌with Ernan caught good retired of his goal.

Mozambique brought connected winger Dominguez arsenic a second-half substitute ‌at the property of 42 years, 1 period ⁠and six days, making him the oldest outfield subordinate successful tourney past down lone erstwhile Egypt goalkeeper Essam El Hadary, who was 44 erstwhile helium played successful the 2017 final.

Mozambique are ‌still to triumph a lucifer astatine the finals, stretching backmost to their tourney debut successful 1986. This is their sixth quality with a grounds of ‍four draws and 12 losses.

Diallo, centre, scores the lone extremity of the contention successful the 49th infinitesimal [Khaled Desouki/AFP]