SportsEquatorial Guinea Lose 1-0 To Cote d'Ivoire In AFCON Group E Fixture

Equatorial Guinea Lose 1-0 To Cote d’Ivoire In AFCON Group E Fixture

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January 12, (THEWILL) – Max Gradel’s thunderous first-half strike was enough to give Ivory Coast a 1-0 victory over Equatorial Guinea at the TotalEnergies 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

Cote d’Ivoire was looking to rebound from their disappointment of finishing second in their World Cup qualifying group, which ended their hopes of qualifying for Qatar.

And they were up just five minutes at the Stade de Douala in Cameroon, thanks to former Leeds and Bournemouth winger Max Gradel’s stunning shot from 20 yards out.

Glo

When celebrating the score, Gradel appeared emotional, with his teammates mobbing the 34-year-old Sivasspor player while he placed his hands over his face.

Equatorial Guinea attempted to react, but Basilio Ndong’s effort was stopped, while Saul Coco missed a couple more chances.

Equatorial Guinea pushed and probed for an equaliser after the interval, but Dorian Hanza, Iban Salvador, and Emilio Nsue all squandered chances.
With 20 minutes remaining, Arsenal’s Nicolas Pepe came on to replace Gradel as Ivory Coast’s best hope for a second goal.

The Arsenal man had a shot blocked and another saved, and fellow second-half substitute Wilfried Zaha also came close to increase their lead.

It did not matter, though, as Ivory Coast won to take the lead in Group E after Algeria and Sierra Leone drew 0-0.

Ivory Coast’s 1-0 victory became the tournament’s ninth by that score after 12 games.

About the Author

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Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.

Jude Obafemi, THEWILLhttps://thewillnews.com
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.

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