IN TODAY’S AFCON matches, Ivory Coast maintained their undefeated record, beating Algeria to top their group, whilst Equatorial Guinea had a narrow victory over Sierra Leone.
Algeria went into the match against Ivory Coast in need of a win to stay alive in the tournament, however they knew it would not be an easy task.
And by half-time, Ivory Coast had the match all but wrapped up, with goals from Franke Kessie and a header from Ibrahim Sangare putting them 2-0 to the good.
Things went from bad to worse for Algeria as Arsenal star Nicolas Pepe increased the Ivorian’s lead just 10 minutes after the break, and then Manchester City’s Riyad Mahrez missed from the spot.
Despite a late consolation goal to make it 3-1, the result was not enough for Algeria, who finished the group bottom and become the third holders to exit at the group stages in the past five AFCON tournaments.
Meanwhile, Equatorial Guinea booked their place in the last 16 with a 1-0 victory over Sierra Leone.
The goal came just before half-time by Pablo Ganet, and Sierra Leone, who needed a point to keep their hopes alive, couldn’t respond, seeing an 84th minute penalty saved by Jesus Owono.
After today’s results, it is now known that the four best third placed teams qualifying are Cape Verde, Malawi, Comoros and whoever finishes third in group F.
The Equatoguineans will next be in action on January 26 in their last 16 match against the winners of Group F, which could be one of Gambia, Mali, and Tunisia. As for Ivory Coast, they will take on Liverpool star Mohamed Salah’s Egypt, also on January 26.
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