Defending champions Ivory Coast and five-time winners Cameroon played out a tense 1-1 draw in their Africa Cup of Nations Group F encounter on Sunday, with both sides advancing to the knockout stages after a second-half flurry of goals at the Stade de Marrakech.
Manchester United winger Amad Diallo opened the scoring for the Elephants in the 51st minute with a stunning curled effort from outside the box, marking his second goal of the tournament following his winner against Mozambique.
However, Cameroon leveled just five minutes later when Junior Tchamadeu’s shot deflected off Ivory Coast defender Ghislain Konan and into the net, credited as an own goal in some reports, ensuring a share of the points.
The result leaves both teams atop Group F with four points each, ahead of Mozambique on three and Gabon on zero, confirming their progression ahead of the final group matches on Wednesday.
The first half was marked by physicality but few clear chances, with Cameroon debutant Christian Kofane striking the woodwork and Ivory Coast captain Franck Kessie seeing a deft finish disallowed for offside shortly after the break.
Cameroon’s Danny Namaso also came close, hitting the crossbar via deflections, in a game where possession was evenly split and shots totaled 13 for Ivory Coast and 12 for the Indomitable Lions.
Ivory Coast manager Emerse Fae made two changes from their opening 1-0 victory, bringing in Vakoun Issouf Bayo and Seko Fofana, while Cameroon handed a senior debut to Kofane in place of match-winner Karl Etta Eyong.
Diallo’s performance stood out, earning praise for a strike described as reminiscent of Kylian Mbappe, though he picked up a yellow card and was substituted late.
