Cameroon top Group F with a solitary-goal victory over Gabon
Rabat: Manchester United’s Amad Diallo handed defending champions Ivory Coast a victory over Mozambique in the first step for the Elephants to defend their title.
Ivory Coast wasted many chances in the first half before Diallo scored in the 49th minute.
Wilfried Zaha, who played his first international game in over two years, wasted a number of chances, while Franck Kessie missed two point-blank efforts.
The win secured the second spot in Group F for the Ivorians, who are seeking to defend their title by winning a fourth.
Later, Cameroon clinched a 1-0 win over Gabon, topping Group F.
The five-time champions scored the first and only goal of the match in the 6th minute after Etta Eyong converted a superb pass from Manchester United’s Bryan Mbuemo.
But as quickly as Cameroon scored, they had to wait for a VAR review for potential offside.
The victory marked the Untamed Lions’ first win over Gabon in 15 years.
In Group E, Algeria topped the group after thrashing Sudan in a 3-0 demolition job.
Riyad Mahrez kicked off the score almost immediately after scoring in the second minute of the match.
In the second half, he doubled after scoring in the 61st minute. Ibrahim Maza scored Algeria’s third goal in the 85th minute.
The win secured the top spot for the two-time champions, followed by Burkina Faso, who earlier won 2-1 against Equatorial Guinea.
