Diallo seals winning start for Ivory Coast in AFCON 2025 opener

Diallo seals winning start for Ivory Coast in AFCON 2025 opener

Ivory Coast began their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title defence with a narrow 1–0 win over Mozambique at the Marrakech Stadium on Wednesday night.

Amad Diallo proved the difference as the Elephants edged past their Group F opponents to claim three points in their opening fixture.

The Manchester United forward struck shortly after half-time to give Ivory Coast a winning start as they aim to become the first defending champions since Egypt in 2010 to retain the AFCON crown.

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The breakthrough came four minutes after the restart when Amad capitalised on static defending.

Mozambique goalkeeper Ernan had been kept busy before the break, producing an acrobatic save to tip Yan Diomande’s mishit effort from Guela Doue’s cross over the bar, denying Kessie with a close-range header hit straight at him.

Ghislain Konan also missed a clear opportunity after Amad weaved his way into the area and teed him up, only for the left-back to drag his shot wide.

Speaking after the match, Diallo expressed pride at scoring for his country. “I am very proud of myself. I have been waiting for this moment for a long time. Wearing my country’s jersey is an immense pride; it’s a dream come true,” he said.

“We won 1–0. Honestly, I thought we deserved to win by a bigger margin, but we take this success. We will now focus on the next match, because it will be a very tough game for us.”

Both teams return to action on Sunday in their second Group F fixtures. Mozambique face Gabon in Agadir, while Ivory Coast take on Cameroon in Marrakech.

Head of Sports at BusinessDay Media, a seasoned Digital Content Producer, and FIFA/CAF Accredited Journalist with over a decade of sports reporting.Has a deep understanding of the Nigerian and global sports landscape and skills in delivering comprehensive and insightful sports content.

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