January 06, (THEWILL) — Defending champions, Ivory Coast, advanced to the Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals with a comprehensive victory over Burkina Faso at Stade de Marrakech. The 3-0 triumph sets up a last-eight meeting with Egypt for the holders.
Manchester United forward, Amad Diallo, opened the scoring in the 20th minute after two earlier attempts had gone astray. He latched onto Evan Guessand’s deflected pass and lifted a composed finish over goalkeeper, Herve Koffi, to give his side an early advantage.
Diallo turned provider 12 minutes later, setting up Yan Diomande to sweep home from inside the box and double the lead before half-time. Burkina Faso responded better after the break, with Yahia Fofana producing a sharp near-post save to deny Dango Ouattara’s close-range effort.
The contest was settled three minutes from time through substitute Bazoumana Toure’s remarkable solo goal. He won possession from Bertrand Traore on the edge of his own penalty area before surging forward and finishing at the near post to complete a memorable individual effort.
The result confirms Ivory Coast’s place in the knockout rounds, where they will face Egypt with confidence boosted by their attacking performance in Morocco.
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.
